A Delhi e-rickshaw driver has alleged that he was beaten by police personnel at a local police post on September 6 after bringing in a man he suspected of trying to steal his vehicle, saying the alleged assault left his fingers swollen and prevented him from working for four days.
Mohd. Sameer, a resident of Libaspur in Delhi’s Samaypur Badli area, said he caught the suspected thief after chasing him and took him to the Libaspur police post, expecting the matter to be handled by authorities. Instead, Sameer alleges, he was questioned by police and subsequently beaten with a baton.
The allegation came to public attention after a video of Sameer recounting the incident while palpably distressed circulated on social media.
Sameer told FoEJ Media that he had stopped his e-rickshaw to eat after working through the day on September 6. He said he noticed a man taking his vehicle and immediately chased him. Another e-rickshaw driver reportedly helped him stop the man. Moving further, he took the case to the police station, where he was allegedly beaten on the hand.
“If something wrong happens to someone, they should not go to the police at all”
Days after the incident, Sameer still grappled with the pain in his hands, affecting both his physical and financial situation.
“My heart is still crying; it has been four days. There is nothing to eat at home. I haven’t gone to work because I don’t have any money,” Sameer said, speaking to FoEJ Media.
“I worked all day. I drove the rickshaw all day. I was tired. I was hungry at night. I stopped to eat something. I parked the rickshaw in front. I was looking at it again and again. Suddenly the rickshaw disappeared,” Sameer said,
He said the injuries have affected even basic activities.
“I cannot even break a piece of bread; all my fingers are swollen,” he said.
“The poor get beaten everywhere, and this is the reality,” he added.
“If something wrong happens to someone, they should not go to the police at all,” he said, expressing regret over going to police after catching the suspected thief.
However, the SHO of PS Samaypur Badli, Delhi, has refused the allegations. According to the police, on the night of September 7, Sameer and another man, Deena, approached the Samaypur Police Booth over the alleged theft; however, both the men appeared to be drunk. Furthermore, police said that the rickshaw was in Sameer’s possession and that a minor argument broke out between the duo.
