Prathapachandran suspended; Home Dept takes action against CI who assaulted pregnant woman

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Home Department has taken action against the SHO who assaulted a pregnant woman at a police station. An order has been issued suspending Prathapachandran, who was the SHO of Ernakulam North Police Station at the time of the incident.

In June 2024, Prathapachandran slapped a woman named Shymol on the face when she arrived at the station and pushed her by the chest. The CCTV footage of the incident came out on Thursday evening. The complainant received the visuals following a court order. Prathapachandran is currently serving as the SHO of Aroor police station.

The incident related to the case took place on June 20, 2024. Shymol’s husband had filmed police personnel beating two individuals in public. Officers in mufti then detained him and took him to the police station. When Shymol reached the station to enquire about her husband, CI Pratapachandran assaulted her. The CCTV footage shows the officer pushing her by the chest and slapping her on the face.

Despite complaints filed by Shymol and her family, the police initially denied the allegations. They claimed that the woman had dragged her infants to the station and that officers were merely attempting to resolve the issue. Police also accused the complainant of assaulting police personnel. With no action taken despite repeated demands to release the CCTV footage, Shymol and her husband ultimately approached the court directly. The complainant said that she received the video footage after a one-year legal battle. She also alleged that she was assaulted by a number of police personnel, who later attempted to cover up the incident.