Dhaka City police investigating sergeant after he is filmed thrashing car driver

Dhaka Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into allegation against a trainee sergeant after a video of the officer roughing up a driver went viral on the social media.

Users have been coming down harshly on the trainee sergeant, Mehedi Yusuf, since the video of the incident in Dhanmondi on Saturday emerged.

Witnesses said Mehedi had an altercation with driver Yusuf Farazi at Road No. 7/A in Dhanmondi on Saturday afternoon after asking for the car’s papers.

Mehedi then severely beat Farazi up.

The police officer claimed the video showed only a part of the incident.

“He (the driver) wanted to leave without showing the papers that I had asked for. Later, he provided the papers but swore at the police. When I was about to take legal steps about the papers, he held me back physically,” Mehedi claimed.

“Then I slapped him and he punched back,” he added.

Mehedi is seen kicking the driver by pushing him to the ground at one stage of the fracas.

The onlookers intervened and stopped him.

Mehedi said he did the beating to detain the driver, who, along with the car, was handed over to Dhanmondi Police Station.

DMP Deputy Commissioner Khan Mohammad Rezwan told bdnews24.com on Sunday that Mehedi had been withdrawn from duty.

A police official has been tasked with investigating the incident, he said, and added that the sergeant would face action if he was found guilty.

Ariful Islam, the owner of the car, said he would lodge a police complaint against Mehedi.