In a shocking incident of alleged police brutality, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the Ernakulam North police station has surfaced, showing a station house officer slapping a woman who was three months pregnant at the time. The video, which became public on Thursday, June 20, 2024, was obtained by the victim and her husband only after a protracted legal battle lasting a year and a half.
A Disturbing Visual of Assault
The footage, released following an order from the Kerala High Court, captures the moment N J Shaimol (43) entered the police station carrying her infant twins. She had gone there to inquire about the alleged illegal arrest of her husband, Benjo. The visuals show Inspector K G Prathapachandran, who was in plain clothes, slapping Shaimol moments after another woman, also in civilian attire and apparently a police officer, took the babies from her arms.
Benjo, who was present, stated he had explicitly informed the inspector that his wife was pregnant. "I do not know what to say about someone who would slap her despite being told that," he expressed. Shaimol later delivered the baby, who is now one year old. The couple fought relentlessly to secure the CCTV evidence, finally receiving a copy this week.
The Backstory and Contradictory Claims
The chain of events began when Benjo allegedly recorded police using force while arresting two youths near a tourist home he managed. Irked by his filming, the police booked him in the case, arresting him for obstructing duty. Benjo claims he was beaten in areas of the station without CCTV coverage and spent five days in jail.
Initially, the police denied Shaimol's account, accusing her of obstructing official duty, endangering her children, and even shattering the station's glass door. She maintained these were false allegations, a claim now bolstered by the CCTV footage, which contradicts the police version. Following the uproar, police sources indicated that departmental action, including suspension, is likely against Inspector Prathapachandran, who is now posted as the station house officer in Aroor.
Inspector's Defense and a Pattern of Excesses
On Thursday, Inspector Prathapachandran defended his actions to the media. He claimed Benjo had a criminal record and alleged that Shaimol threatened to kill her children if her husband was not released. He further stated that she shoved him twice and his slap was a reaction to this "sudden provocation."
This incident is not isolated. It joins a growing list of police excesses exposed through station CCTV footage obtained via the Right to Information (RTI) Act and court orders. In a similar case from September 2023, four officers from the Kunnamkulam police station were suspended for assaulting a Youth Congress leader after he obtained CCTV visuals following a legal struggle.
The emergence of this footage from Ernakulam underscores the critical role of transparency tools like CCTV and RTI in holding authorities accountable, while raising serious questions about police conduct and accountability mechanisms in Kerala.
