UP Police officer caught on cam 'sitting on woman', Kanpur cops issue clarification

File photo

Kanpur: In a bizarre incident, an image of a police officer allegedly sitting on top of a woman went viral on the internet.

An inquiry has been ordered by the Uttar Pradesh police into a scuffle between a police officer and a woman in Kanpur. 

A statement by the Kanpur Rural Police stressed that the officer, seen holding down a woman in widely-circulated photographs and a video clip, did not initiate the fight.

The statement, citing another video clip that has since emerged of the incident on Saturday, said the woman started the scuffle to enable her husband to flee and the officer fell on the woman while trying to stop her.

Take a look at the scuffle here:

https://t.co/R6xsHpUV4r pic.twitter.com/oktTiMghWl — Kanpur Dehat Police (@kanpurdehatpol) July 17, 2021

The officer, sub-inspector Mahendra Patel, has nevertheless been transferred to the district's police lines, the statement said.

News reports mention that the Police said the incident took place when a team of police officers went to Durgadasspur village in Bhognipur locality, about 60 km from Kanpur city, where they found some people gambling. 

The team caught Shivam Yadav, who according to the police, allegedly threatened a candidate in the panchayat elections a few weeks earlier.

His family members attacked the police and managed to let Shivam Yadav escape arrest.

His wife, Arti, later citing a photograph and a version of the video clip of the incident, alleged that the police officer dragged her to the ground, sat on top of her, and assaulted her.