Woman cop accusing father, daughter of being thieves indicates "khaki ego, arrogance": Kerala HC
Kochi, Nov 29: Disturbed and pained by visuals of a woman pink police officer who had in August rudely confronted a father and daughter and accused them of stealing her phone, the Kerala High Court on Monday said her conduct indicated "pure ego and arrogance of the khaki".
Justice Devan Ramachandran, after perusing an around five minute long video of the incident, said that the girl could be seen crying right from the start, but the officer was not moved at all and instead she was blocking the father and daughter.
The court said that being a woman and a mother, the officer should have been moved by the tears and should have consoled the child.
"The visuals are disturbing. It has moved me. The girl was crying throughout. She was terrified. Any child would be when their father is being accused, that too by police. They are from a vulnerable section of society.
"It could have been handled in a better manner. She (officer) should have bent down and apologised to the child and bought her a chocolate and things would have been over there and then. Instead she justified her actions. It is not lack of wisdom, it is pure ego and arrogance. Khaki ego and arrogance," Justice Ramachandran said.
"What kind of pink police is this that no one went near the child when she started crying? Why do we need such a pink police?" the court asked.
The court said it was conduct of this sort by the police due to which "people go and commit suicide", in apparent reference to the recent suicide by a third year law student -- Mofia Parveen -- after a police officer allegedly misbehaved with her when she went to the station in connection with a dowry harassment and domestic violence complaint lodged by her.
The court went on to ask the police whether the child in the instant matter would ever trust any officer in the future.
It noted that the child was said to be suffering from severe emotional and psychiatric distress as an outcome of the incident on August 27 and sought a report, in a sealed cover, regarding the treatment she was undergoing.
The court also asked the State Police Chief to "devote his attention" to the issue and file a report, since till now statements of the father and daughter have not been taken.
It also directed that the transfer order of the pink police officer and the materials relied upon for taking the decision be placed before the court by the next date of hearing on December 7.
After dictating the order, the court observed that the issue could have been resolved on the date of incident itself had the officer apologised,
Instead now the entire police force was trying to justify her actions, the court added.
"You cannot justify it. When in uniform, your (police) responsibility is a million times more. I have been repeatedly saying that police have to be friends, they have to be protectors.
"In civilised parts of the world, children are told to go to the police when they have a problem. Will this child ever go to the police? The lady officer did not stop even after the child started crying. Why did her heart not melt? She was all about -- phone, phone, phone. In a western nation, she would have been facing a lawsuit for millions," the court said.
"Even a hijacker lets kids go, but she was blocking the father and daughter," it further said and added that the police have "made a mountain out of a molehill".
It was the carelessness of the woman pink police officer which led to the confusion and she should have taken care of her own phone, the court also said.
The court was hearing a plea filed by the eight-year-old girl, seeking a direction to the government to take stern action against the officer for infringing her fundamental right.
The petitioner has also sought Rs 50 lakh from the government as compensation for the humiliating incident.
The incident occurred on August 27 when Attingal resident Jayachandran reached Moonumukku with his eight-year-old daughter, who wanted to watch the movement of a massive cargo to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thumba.
Rajitha, a woman police officer attached to the Pink police, was deployed to assist in traffic regulation and she accused the duo of stealing her mobile phone that was kept in the police vehicle.
In a video which went viral, the officer and her colleague were seen harassing the father and the daughter and even frisking him. The child broke down amid their harassment.
However, when an onlooker dialed the number of the officer, the mobile phone was found in the police vehicle, following which the police team left the scene without even tendering an apology to the father and the daughter.
As part of a disciplinary action, the woman officer was transferred and the State police chief directed her to undergo behavioural training.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
