Lucknow, Sep 20 (PTI): A sub inspector of the police has been suspended following intervention of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav after pictures of the cop damaging the typewriter of an elderly typist went viral on the social media.

Krishna Kumar (65) had been sitting on the pavement outside the General Post Office (GPO) working as the typist for the last 35 years, a senior officer said.

On pretext of "security movement", Incharge of the Secretariat Police outpost Sub Inspector Pradeep Kumar asked Kumar to vacate the place yesterday and even crushed the latter's typewriter under his boots.

The pleas of the elderly man went unheard and the SI continued with the act till the typewriter was completely smashed.

As the pictures of the incident went viral on the social media, the CM asked senior officers to suspend the errant cop and provide a new typewriter to the victim. On his directive, SSP Rajesh Pandey suspended the SI and ordered an inquiry to be headed by the Circle Officer, Alambagh.

District Magistrate Rajshekhar and SSP Pandey later visited Kumar's house and handed over a typewriter to him.

The CM has asked the senior officers to train policemen in improving their behaviour while dealing with the public, the officer said.

The SSP has also asked the typist to identify a place and continue his work. Narrating the incident, Krishna Kumar said that the SI came all of a sudden and damaged his typewriter.

"When I resisted he threw my typewriter. A typewriter comes for Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000. How would a person who earns only Rs 100 per day can arrange Rs 7,000 to buy a new typewriter?" he asked.

DM Rajshekhar said that on the directive of the CM, a new typewriter was given to the typist.

"On the directive of the CM, we went to Kumar's house and handed over to him a new typewriter and apologised. We also felt bad that such an event took place," he said.