A woman sub-inspector was assaulted by a group of intoxicated youths during Venugopala Swamy Jatara, a traditional festival, in Gudivada village of Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh. Nine individuals were arrested in connection with the incident on Thursday while one suspect remains at large. The attack took place on Tuesday night and the video of the incident has went viral.
The violence erupted when SI B Devi, who was on duty at the festival, intervened to stop a ‘record dance’ event called ‘Dance Baby Dance’, reported Times of India. The youths, under the influence of alcohol, were also behaving inappropriately and when the officer attempted to control the situation she used her baton on one of them causing a bleeding injury. This provoked the group which then retaliated violently physically assaulting the sub-inspector.
The ten-member gang, which included one woman, pushed the officer, pulled her hair, touched her inappropriately, snatched her mobile phone, and verbally abused her with foul language, reported ETV Bharat. The attack left the officer injured and she was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment.
Action Against The Group
As soon as the police were alerted, Circle Inspector (CI) Appalanaidu and a team of officers launched an investigation. The accused were found hiding in a residence, following which nine individuals were arrested and sent to judicial custody. The suspects include Gudivada Mohan, R Yernibabu, Gudivada Santosh Kumar and Gudivada Krishnamma. One accused, B Simhachalam Naidu, remains on the run, and police efforts are underway to apprehend him.
Following the attack, law enforcement authorities set up a police picket in the village to prevent further disturbances