Surat cop caught on camera thrashing woman bank cashier

SURAT: The city police were left deeply embarrassed after a constable with Sarthana police station was arrested for assaulting a woman cashier of Canara Bank, triggering massive outrage on social media and leaving Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman anguished.
The video of the incident that took place in Saroli branch of the bank on June 22 went viral on Wednesday. Constable Ghanshyam Shyora (Ahir) is seen opening the latch of the restricted area and menacingly rushing towards the woman, Santosh Kumari Purohit. Shyora then slapped and pushed her to the ground. He also manhandled her colleague Harshad Tiwari and asked him to be seated, the CCTV footage of the bank showed.
Shyora got enraged seeing Purohit taking the video of his altercation with Tiwari over making an entry in the passbook of one of his relatives. Tiwari had expressed inability to print the passbook due to technical reasons and dysfunctional printer, which angered Shyora.
Medical report of the victim revealed that she suffered a hairline fracture in sacrococcyx (bottom of the spine).
Will closely monitor the case: FM
The policeman’s relative had come to get an entry printed in the bank passbook a few days ago. When we refused citing a non-functional printer, he made me talk with the policeman who had even used abusive language with me over the phone,” alleged Purohit.
Initially, the city police had only lodged a noncognizable offence on Monday and it was only after the social media uproar and Sitharaman’s tweets that senior officials acknowledged the gravity of the incident. It was only on Wednesday, two days after the incident, police commissioner R B Brahmbhatt suspended the constable and he was arrested.
On Wednesday, Brahmbhatt also visited the branch and assured bank employees of security.
“Will be closely following this matter. Wish to assure that the safety of all members of staff in banks is of importance for us. Amid challenges, banks are extending all services to our people. Nothing should threaten their safety and dignity,” Sitharaman tweeted. She also spoke to Surat collector Dr Dhaval Patel who assured of timely action.
Shyora was booked under IPC sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 447 (criminal trespass), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult) and sections of Epidemic Disease Act, said VU Gadariya, police inspector, Puna.
When asked why an FIR was not lodged the same day, BR Pandor, deputy commissioner of police, zone II, claimed, ““We registered the offence as per the details provided by the complainant. A non-cognizable offence is equivalent to an FIR like in any other criminal case.”
In Video:Caught on cam: Man assaults woman in Gujarat