AAP member alleges police inspector assaults party men

Ahmedabad: An Aam Aadmi Party member today alleged that a police inspector has misbehaved and assaulted him and other party members when he asked him under what laws they were fined for smoking in a public place here.

The video of the act went viral today and it showed the police inspector threatening, misbehaving and assaulting AAP workers.

“Vejalpur police inspector A B Valand misbehaved and assaulted me and my party workers, after I asked him under what provisions of the law he fined my colleagues for smoking,” AAP worker Nitin Barot told PTI.

“The incident took place on August 9, when some of the workers were smoking at a pan shop near our office and some policemen in a van came to us,” he said.

“They demanded Rs 100 from my colleagues as a fine for smoking in a public place and when the workers asked them to inform them about the law under which they were fined, the policemen had asked them to enter their van,” he said.

“When I intervened, they took me to Vejalpur police station where we met inspector Valand”, he said.

“I asked him the same questions which my colleagues who were fined for smoking had asked the policemen who fined them. Valand became furious started abusing us,” Barot said.

“Later, Valand asked his subordinates to kick me out of the police station, but when I told him that he could not do so being a public servant, he abused me and started beating me until I was thrown out of the police station. He also tried to break the cellphone of my friend who was video recording the entire episode,” Barot said.

Barot also wrote to Joint Commissioner of Police Rajiv Ranjan Bhagat of Zone 1 to take action in the case.

Barot said that Bhagat assured him that action would be taken against Valand within a week.

Neither Bhagat nor Valand could be reached for their comments on the issue despite repeated attempts.