PB: SAD, AAP slam Delhi Police for alleged assault on tempo driver, son in national capital

Opposition parties in Punjab, the the SAD and the AAP Monday slammed the Delhi police for the alleged assault of a tempo driver and his son by some personnel of the force in the national capital's Mukherjee Nagar area.

While the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah dismissal of the accused policemen from service, the Aam Aadmi Party demanded a judicial probe into the incident.

Videos of the altercation were shared widely on social media. In one of the purported videos, the driver was seen chasing policemen with a sword in his hand, while in another video, the policemen were seen thrashing him with lathis in an attempt to overpower him.

According to a senior police officer, an accident between a Gramin Sewa Tempo and a police vehicle occurred Sunday evening, leading to an argument between them, which soon turned violent. The officer said the tempo driver attacked police personnel on the head with a sword and also drove dangerously.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal urged Shah to award exemplary punishment to police personnel responsible for the "brutal attack" by dismissing them from service to send a message to society that "atrocities by men in uniform" would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

He also sought registration of an attempt to murder case against the policemen involved.

"The Delhi police personnel behaved like animals yesterday by brutalizing an old Sikh man and his son in front of the Mukherjee Nagar police station. The old man was beaten up and dragged on the streets despite pleas of his son to defuse the situation. Later the son was also attacked and beaten up mercilessly," Badal said.

In a democracy, there is no place for inhuman conduct against any community, he said in a statement.

The AAP, which is in power in Delhi, has demanded a judicial probe into the incident. The party's Punjab MLAs Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Baljinder Kaur, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Jai Kishan Rori and Manjit Singh Bilaspur demanded dismissal of the policemen who allegedly assaulted the man and his son.

Notably, the Delhi police has said an enquiry will be conducted into the incident by Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest) Vijayanta Arya and the Additional DCP and ACP of the district.

Three policemen have been suspended for their unprofessional conduct in handling the matter and further legal action will be taken on the basis of the enquiry, the police have said.