A Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur Dehat district has accused police personnel of assaulting her while she was holding her newborn daughter. The incident allegedly followed a dispute over unpaid wages in Piyasi village under the jurisdiction of Gajner police station.
Poonam Devi alleged that villagers assaulted her and her husband, Trimul Singh, after he demanded payment for his work before Diwali. She further accused two women police personnel of holding her by both arms and beating her when she called the police for help.
Police have denied the assault allegations, claiming that Poonam and her husband misbehaved with officers who arrived at the scene.
Poonam visited the Superintendent of Police’s office around 2 pm on Saturday and submitted a written complaint seeking action against the villagers and police personnel involved.
Dispute Began Over Unpaid Wages
According to Poonam, her husband went to a villager’s house around noon on Saturday to demand his pending wages. The person allegedly told him that the payment would be made after Diwali.
Trimul reportedly insisted that he be paid before the festival. This led to an argument between the two sides.
Poonam alleged that the other party then assaulted her and her husband, used caste-based slurs, kicked and punched them, and threatened to kill them.
She said that after managing to escape, she called the police emergency number 112.
Woman Alleges Police Assaulted Her While She Held Baby
Poonam alleged that police personnel who arrived at the scene assaulted her instead of hearing her complaint. She claimed that two women police personnel held both her arms and beat her.
She said she was holding her newborn daughter at the time and pleaded with the officers not to assault her because of the baby. However, she alleged, they did not listen.
Poonam also claimed that police personnel seized the mobile phone of a person recording the incident. Her husband was subsequently taken to the police station.
Police Deny Allegations
The Gajner station house officer gave a different account, saying Trimul was allegedly drunk and abusing people when the police received information about the dispute.
According to the police, Dial 112 personnel and officers from the local police station reached the village, where Poonam and her husband allegedly misbehaved with them.
Police said Trimul was taken to the station and action was being initiated against him for breach of peace. The station house officer rejected Poonam’s allegations of assault by police personnel as baseless.
Poonam later approached the SP’s office with a written complaint, demanding action against both the villagers accused of assaulting her family and the police personnel she said had beaten her.
