Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Oct 5: In a case of alleged police brutality on a minor, a 14-year-old boy has complained that he was beaten up by two cops for no apparent reason while returning from a movie theatre.

Prajwal (named changed), a student of 7th standard at a government school, stated in his complaint that on the night of October 3, he and his friends, after attending tuitions, had been to watch the 9.45 pm show of a Kannada movie at Big Cinemas in Bharath Mall. They came out at 1 am.

As per the complaint, when they were walking along the road in front of the auto rickshaw stand near KSRTC bus stand, two men came in a bike, stopped the boys and demanded to know where they were going at that hour of the night. The boys told them that they had been to tuitions.

At this, the men said that they were cops and allegedly slapped Prajwal and also hit him on the thigh with a stick. They also reportedly abused the boys, calling them 'thieves' roaming around at night and snatched away the boy's mobile phone. When Prajwal asked the cop to give back his phone, he was allegedly beaten.

Thereafter, the boys went to a nearby canteen belonging to someone they knew, and were admitted to the hospital the same night.

The cops reportedly were from Urwa police station.

A complaint in this regard was filed in Kadri police station. The boy and his parents may also approach the police commissioner and the child welfare committee, sources said.