- A young man with a family was stopped at a late-night police checkpoint in Dhamtari district
- The man alleged assault by the Arjuni police SHO after he recorded the police action on his phone
- Police claimed the rider was uncooperative, aggressive, and provoked officers by filming the event
A late-night police checking drive in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district has now triggered a serious controversy after a young man travelling with his wife and child was allegedly assaulted by the Arjuni police station in charge when he began recording the police action on his mobile phone.
The incident took place on the night of May 4-5 near the Mujgahan-Potiadih bypass under Arjuni police station limits, where police had set up a checkpoint and patrol point in what officials describe as a sensitive and incident-prone area.
Around 1 AM, a motorcycle coming from the Dhamtari side was stopped by security personnel. On the bike were a young man, his wife and their child. Police say the motorcycle's front number plate was broken, and the rider's late-night movement appeared suspicious. The personnel asked him about his identity, vehicle documents and the reason for travelling at that hour.
What should have remained a routine verification soon turned into a confrontation.
According to the young man, he had gone with his family to watch a late-night movie show that ended around 1 AM and was returning home to Aamdi when the police stopped him. He alleged that the personnel behaved rudely with him, following which he took out his mobile phone and started recording the interaction.
That, according to the allegation, is when the situation escalated.
Arjuni SHO Chandrakant Sahu allegedly assaulted him after objecting to his behaviour and the video recording. The man claims he was only trying to document the police conduct because he felt he was being unnecessarily harassed despite travelling with his family.
Police, however, have presented a different version.
Officials say the rider refused to cooperate during questioning, became aggressive and attempted to provoke the police by speaking loudly and recording videos. Police also claimed that he began speaking to his wife in another language, which they say further raised suspicion about his background.
The police then contacted a local councillor from Aamdi to verify the man's identity. It was later found, according to police, that he was an outsider staying in a rented house near the residence of Councillor Parasmani Sahu, and his tenant details had allegedly not been registered at the local police station.
After verification, the man was allowed to leave and was instructed to appear at the police station the next day with his identity, vehicle and rental documents.
When asked about the incident, Dhamtari City SP Abhishek Chaturvedi defended the police checking and said, "Last night, between 1 and 1:30 AM, a motorcycle was coming from Dhamtari city. Its front number plate was broken, so the personnel deployed there stopped it. Apart from the rider, a woman and a child were on the bike. When questioned, the rider did not cooperate and became aggressive."
He added that the Inspector was called to the spot for verification. "The Station In-charge asked for documents related to the number plate and Aadhaar card, but the rider could not provide them. He kept recording video on his mobile phone and appeared to be trying to provoke the police. He said he was a resident of Aamdi. On speaking to the local councillor, it was learned that he was an outsider living there on rent. He has been called to the police station with documents," Chaturvedi said.
The City SP further said that the vehicle registration was from Durg, and there appeared to be discrepancies between the names on the Aadhaar card and the Registration Certificate. He said the matter would be examined and a notice would also be issued to the landlord.
