In a vicious police attack reported in Bengaluru, two North East residents in the city were tortured by the Hennur police for stepping out to buy medicines and groceries amid the lockdown. The men were tortured by the police for more than 15 hours, although the police deny the claim.

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NE residents tortured for 15 hours

The two men attacked originally belong to Darjeeling and Nagaland. Samrat Pradhan, a 25-year-old from Darjeeling, has been working for a year in Bengaluru as a business correspondent of a magazine. While the other, Amit Kar, his cousin of the same age is working in a reputed hotel for over two years.

They have been out to get some emergency medicines and groceries when the cops came by and took them to the Hennur station for breaching the lockdown rules, reported Bangalore Mirror.

Amit Kar had an eye infection and the two men were out to get the medicines for it on a bike on Monday, April 20.

It was around 7:30 pm when the police personnel asked them to stopover. The men, unfortunately, did not have the mandatory vehicle pass to travel during the lockdown days. The police started caning them as the public stood watching by.

"In the entire crowd, we were singled out and asked to show our pass. Some of the locals started calling us 'coronavirus'. When we pointed out that several people had stepped out without masks, the constable started abusing us in Kannada," said Pradhan. He also added that the locals were also involved in pushing them into an auto that took them to the Hennur police station.

The two cousins said that the policemen allegedly took turns to cane them and asked them to delete the videos that Pradhan has filmed while the police were abusing his cousin.

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Cops deny claims

The video was forcefully deleted and the police even ensured it clear from their back up files. "After the video was deleted, they gave us some food. When we refused to eat, they threatened to beat us again," he said.

The men were released around 11.30 am on Tuesday.

"We were traumatised and shocked and we walked about five kilometres to reach our home. The police have impounded our bike which they said we could collect after May 3," said the victims.
Meanwhile the cops, on the other hand, deny the men's claims. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) SD Sharanappa, "The Hennur police claim that nobody has been manhandled inside the police station. The police further claimed that the two were creating nuisance without a pass."

The two men had allegedly stopped a woman on a two-wheeler, say the police, and asked if she had a pass. Later the police saw a few people who had gathered there started beating the two and the police brought them to the station for the trouble they created in the public.

"They were sent back after they were provided medical care for the injuries sustained when they were beaten by the public," said the DCP.

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