Gurdaspur: Punjab Cop Manhandles Protesting Woman Farmer, Is Indian Police Still The Protector?

In a video now going viral on all social media platforms, a police officer can be seen slapping an elderly woman protesting against the acquisition of their land for the Delhi-Katra National Highway project.

gurdaspur punjab woman police slap

A video of a cop slapping a protesting woman farmer in Punjab is going viral on social media. The incident took place in Gurdaspur's Bhamari village where farmers were protesting against the acquisition of their land for the Delhi-Katra National Highway project. In the video, a police officer can be seen slapping an elderly woman. If reports are to be believed, police officials present at the site dragged farmer leaders and removed their turbans while forcefully removing them.

The video is all over social media and has sparked outrage among netizens. Though it isn't clear in the video what led to the argument between the two, users online are calling out the official for manhandling the elderly woman protester. The police officer has now been set to the Police lines and a departmental inquiry has been initiated against him. However, the incident has underlined a big issue that continues to prevail in India.

Though the constitution of India gives every citizen the right to freedom with Article 19, such incidents happening across India almost daily serve as proof that freedom no longer exists.

police official beating woman gurdaspur punjab

We spoke to our experts to understand the legal aspect here. Adv. Shikhani Shah Engineer, Criminal Lawyer, Bombay High Courtsaid, "No police official has the right to beat a protester. The cop outraged the modesty of a woman under the 354 section of the Indian Penal Code. Only a female constable can manhandle a woman protestor." "On the other hand, protesters can only do a peaceful protest and can't obstruct any public servant," she added.

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Siddharth Chandrashekhar, Criminal Lawyer, High Court said, "Incidents of assault against women when left unchecked only embolden the perpetrators of such crimes to later commit more serious and heinous crimes. The police must not just protect its citizens but take action proactively here and not just be mute spectators and prosecute the antagonists whoever they may be. Justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done."

Can We Still Rely On Indian Police?

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time a video of a cop beating a woman surfaced online. Over the years, multiple such cases of police personnel mistreating a woman have sparked a debate over rules on how cops should deal with women, however, there seems to be no silver lining.

Earlier, footage of a police officer mercilessly thrashing a woman went viral. In the video, the woman was seen begging for help, shouting in pain, however, the cop didn't stop. Later, an investigation was initiated. Last year, a video of police officers beating up women protesting over the vandalism of a statue of B.R Ambedkar in Uttar Pradesh went viral.

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We stand in 2023, a democracy where freedom to speak, express seems dead. Time and again, police officials have taken the law into their own hands and manhandled women. On one hand, where we rely on the police for our respect and safety, we see such a slew of assault videos of cops on the other hand. If the police officials act in such an unlawful manner, what do we expect from the rest of the country?

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