Chennai Head Constable Suspended for Allegedly Slapping Auto Driver

On Tuesday, a head constable at Chennai's Sembium Police Station got suspended for allegedly slapping and handcuffing an auto driver in public. The driver, Arun Kumar, is also a college student and part-time auto driver, and he serves as the secretary of the All Indian Student Association.

Here's what happened: 

On Monday night, Arun was driving a customer to Perambur when he accidentally collided with another auto near Perambur Paper Mills Road. Things got heated, and Arun apparently tried to grab the other driver's belongings after a verbal spat. A plainclothes head constable named Annamalai saw what was going on and stepped in. He ended up slapping Arun out of anger. Then, when backup arrived in a patrol car, Annamalai cuffed Arun and took him to Sembium Police Station.

Arun's friends weren't happy about this, so they staged a protest the next day. Arun also filed a complaint against Annamalai. As a result, the higher-ups, following orders from Pulianthope DCP I Eswaran, suspended Annamalai from his duties.