Parsa district police has come under fire after one of its officers was caught in a film assaulting a civilian.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Prahlad Karki assaulted Afroz Ahamad, an employee at a surgical supplies store, in Birgunj on Wednesday. The officer’s action was caught in a CCTV camera installed at the store.

The footage and stills showing Karki hitting and kicking Ahamad were shared on various social media platforms, drawing widespread condemnation.

Karan Patel, the store owner and Ahamad’s employer, accused Karki and his fellow officers of assaulting a general store owner before storming into his shop and beating up Ahamad.

“Karki’s team manhandled the owner of the general store and forced him to close his shop saying the prohibitory hours had started,” Patel told the Post.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed in Birgunj to control Covid-19 and the shops selling daily essentials are only allowed to open in the morning up to 8am.

The general store was open when a police patrol led by Karki arrived there at around 10:21am.

Patel said Karki assaulted Ahamad alleging that he had filmed the officers abusing the general store owner.

“He [Karki] came to our store and started kicking and hitting Ahamad with a baton. He also snatched Ahamad’s mobile,” Patel added. “Ahamad was on a video call with his friend and the police thought that he was filming them.”

Ahamad, who sustained minor injuries in the incident, is currently resting at his home.

The Surgical and Chemical Association of Nepal has demanded action against Karki. The association submitted a memorandum of demand to the chief district officer of Parsa on Thursday.

Superintendent of Police Bel Bahadur Pandey said it was wrong for an officer of the law to assault civilians.

“Some people took videos of security personnel enforcing the lockdown. But beating someone for taking a video is not right,” he said.

Province 2 Police Office has formed a three-member team led by Superintendent of Police Krishna Prasai to investigate the incident.

“Legal action will be taken against the officers who are found guilty,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police Dhiraj Pratap Singh.