Constable’s Tiff With Bhavani Devotees

vijayawada:NTR Police Commissionerate on Monday claimed that police personnel displayed restraint, patience and discipline despite “abuse and repeated provocations” from some Bhavani devotees in the city.

A constable riding his bike noticed an autorickshaw carrying an “unsafe number” of Bhavani devotees and minor children, police said in a statement.

The statement said, “The police gave necessary safety instructions to the driver and passengers. The passengers started misbehaving with the police officer. The police officer remained calm, but as the police insisted on complying with the safety rules, some passengers in the autorickshaw went out and took out the keys of his bike, manhandled him, causing him injuries, and snatched his mobile phone and damaged it while the police officer was trying to document the incident.”

The officer reportedly notified traffic personnel on Benz Circle. “Despite asking the autorickshaw to stop, it continued moving and was later stopped near Screw Bridge. Devotees staged a barricade protest and some devotees continued to misbehave with the police personnel and even tried to attack one of them.”

The injured police officer was sent to the hospital for a health check.

Police said there would be an investigation. Legal action will be taken against everyone involved in the incident in accordance with the norms.