Police assault kiosk owners, bystanders: Captured on CCTV footage from shop

Bhopal: A video of Mangalwara SHO Ajay Soni and a police team assaulting an elderly kiosk owner in front of a liquor shop on Transport Road in Azad Market on Friday night went viral on social media platforms. The cops were also seen slapping and kicking people gathered there.According to SHO Soni, labourers working on Transport Road often gather outside kiosks near the liquor shop after their day's work to drink alcohol, causing inconvenience to nearby traders and passersby. Police registered cases against the kiosk owners in the past too and warned the owners not to allow drinking in public at their shops. But despite warnings, the kiosk owners regularly violated the law. A Ganesh pandal is also set up close to the spot, raising concerns about possible law-and-order issues.SHO Soni said that he received information about a dispute near the wine shop on Friday night. To prevent any escalation, he rushed to the site with force. During the drive, people were found standing around illegally set-up stalls near the shop and were dispersed. He added that repeated complaints from locals forced the police to take strong action to prevent anti-social elements from assembling there.Footage from a nearby shop's CCTV camera shows the SHO slapping a cart vendor and kicking another youth standing nearby. He also allegedly kicked the cart vendor again while policemen accompanying him began beating others present in the area. The sudden police action triggered panic, and people started running from the spot, residents said.