NEW DELHI, Jul 20 (PTI): A Delhi Police constable has lodged a complaint of criminal defamation against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly using a derogatory word for cops.

Harvinder Singh, who is posted at the Gobind Puri Police Station said in his complaint that he was hurt by the word 'thulla' (slang for a cop) used by the chief minister during an interview.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Mandeep Singh Randhawa said that is was a "non-cognisable offense".

He said that Harvinder had watched the interview on television, adding, the complaint has been forwarded to other senior police officers, including police Commissioner BS Bassi.

A similar complaint was also filed at Lajpat Nagar Police Station by another constable, a senior police official said.

Talking about the AAP government's "constraints" in ensuring effective functioning of the Anti-Corruption Branch during an interview, Mr Kejriwal had said, "If a Delhi police 'thulla' seeks money from a street vendor, that is not acceptable. We will surely file a case against that."

Police Commissioner BS Bassi also expressed his displeasure over the use of the derogatory remark and said, "I refuse to believe that the honorable chief minister would have used any word of this sort".