Police officer suspended after video of assault on youths goes viral

By Sagaya Fernando | March 05, 2025

Varanasi, India – A police officer in Varanasi – in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh - was suspended after a viral video showed him brutally beating two youths at the Sankat Mochan police outpost.

The incident, which sparked outrage on social media, prompted authorities to order a departmental investigation.

DCP Kashi Zone Gaurav Banswal confirmed that the outpost in-charge, Naveen Chaturvedi, was suspended on March 2 night following an initial probe.

“A detailed inquiry has been initiated to examine all available footage and evidence related to the case," DCP Banswal added.

The altercation stemmed from a violent clash on February 2 in the Naria area, where two youths identified as Sonu Sonkar and Deepak Jaiswal, were allegedly assaulted by a group, including Nimesh Rai and Ashish Chaubey from Bihar.

Police, after identifying the assailants through CCTV footage, summoned both parties to the Sankat Mochan outpost for questioning about ten days ago.

During the interrogation, tensions flared again, and officials claim the accused misbehaved with the officers. Chaturvedi allegedly lost his temper and was caught on video pulling the hair of Nimesh and Ashish while physically assaulting them.

The footage sparked public outrage, with social activists demanding action.

Further CCTV footage later surfaced, allegedly showing Nimesh and Ashish assaulting Sonu and Deepak during the original brawl, even attempting to strike one of them with a stone.

Officials stated that all video evidence is being carefully examined.

Initially, Chaturvedi was transferred to the police line, but as public pressure mounted, authorities ordered his immediate suspension and appointed ACP Bhelupur to lead the ongoing investigation.