Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 28 (IANS): The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Kannur Superintendent of Police Yathish Chandra who was seen in a video clipping punishing three persons by asking them to do squats for violating lockdown rules.

Kannur is the home district of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The video clip in which the SP is asking three people to do squats for venturing out has now gone viral.

"Since we did not want to cane-charge older people, we made them to do it. People fail to understand the reason why they are asked to remain indoors. Staying at home is the only way we can contain the spread of coronavirus," Chandra told media.

In the video he is seen asking the three why they failed to understand what the media, the police and the government are saying all the time -- do not venture out.

State Congress president Mulappally Ramachandran said what he saw "is totally unacceptable".

"This did not happen even during the British colonial rule. This should have never happened and it cannot be accepted," said Ramachandran, a former Union Minister of State for Home.

State Police chief Loknath Behra reacted by saying personally he does not accept what had happened.

"We will wait for a report," said Behra.

Chandra was in the news at the height of the Sabarimala temple protests in 2018, when he was seen arguing with the then Union Minister of State Pon Radhakarishnan when he had reached the temple town.