VASCO: A video of a head constable attached to Vasco Traffic Cell manhandling a senior citizen went viral on social media, inviting public wrath, but the family of the victim came in support of the cop, appealing to the people not to share the footage of the purported incident.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening when Head Constable Pradeep Bhagat was regulating flow of traffic at Swatantra Path road when the senior citizen Ambresh Gotagi of Vaddem-Vasco suddenly approached him. A discussion ensued between them and the head constable was later seen catching his collar and pulling him on the side of the road.
After the video went viral on social media, netizens criticised the action of the cop and opined that he needed to be suspended immediately for his ‘rude behaviour’ with the senior citizen.
Some also demanded to know whether the police can act in such a manner in public.
But the Gotagi family immediately came to the rescue of the head constable and claimed that the policemen had not assaulted their elderly member.
Gotagi’s son Mutthana said that he saw the entire video footage and that his father was not assaulted but pulled to the side of the road due to the traffic. According to Mutthana, his father was enquiring with the traffic cop as to why there was a sudden diversion and he refused to go on the diverted road.
After repeated requests to his father to go on the diverted road failed, the head constable had to pull him to the side of the road, Mutthana said, appealing to the people not to unnecessarily share the video footage and create a controversy.
The Vasco Traffic Police clarified that the road was diverted due to the official function of the Electricity Department.
