The video of a Nepal Police inspector beating a woman carrying a baby with a stick has become viral on the social media.
Inspector from Bahinsepati Police Devi Prasad Paudel is seen hitting the woman carrying a baby from behind with a baton in the video.
The police team had reached the home of retried Nepal Army general Hem Khatri in Bhainsepati on Thursday to clear the women who had picketed his house. A woman had gathered the group claiming that she had relationship with the retired army officer in the past and he is refusing to accept her as wife now.
The woman has been staging sit-in in front of Khatri's house for the past four months.
The police team had reached the spot on Khatri's call. The team, also including men, used force to disperse the crowd after the women refused to end the sit-in.
Inspector Paudel is seen pushing Hema Shrestha, who was carrying a baby, from the police vehicle and hitting her with a stick from behind in the video. The police later took six women under control.
Inspector Paudel has conceded that he hit the woman with a stick. "We told the women to initiate legal process after reaching there," Paudel told Setopati. "We cleared the spot after they defied."
He said some force was used when asked why he hit a woman. "We obviously use force when the situation so requires."
The Criminal Code 2017 requires deployment of women police to arrest any woman as far as possible. "If women police are not available immediately at the time requiring arrest, there will be no obstruction in the male police arresting the woman in a way that her dignity and honor are not violated and her bodily sensitivity is respected," the code states.
Women police were also present at the spot at the time of incident on Thursday but Inspector Paudel came forward to hit the woman.
Chief of Lalitpur Police SSP Tek Prasad Rai expressed ignorance about a male police officer hitting the woman. "Women police are not present everywhere. He may have done this rather than hitting," SP Rai told Setopati. "He should not have hit. I will find out and take action."
