Delhi Police suspend official caught on camera kicking Muslim men offering prayers

Police express regret and call on people to maintain communal harmony

The Delhi Police have suspended an officer who was caught on camera kicking men offering namaz on Friday.

A video clip of the incident circulating on social media shows a police officer, identified as Sub-Inspector Manoj Kumar Tomar, kicking and pushing men offering namaz outside a mosque on a road in Delhi’s Inderlok area.

Mr Tomar can be seen kicking and shouting at some of the men offering namaz, who seem to have spilled over from the mosque to the road.

The person recording the video can be heard saying that the men were in a prostrating prayer position when the officer kicked them.

Mr Tomar reportedly approached the devotees about 10 minutes after prayer and started kicking and shouting at some of them.

“We were not blocking the road… only a narrow pathway beside the mosque was being used to read the namaz, and traffic was flowing smoothly as it does every Friday,” one of the devotees told The Indian Express.

The officer can also be seen hitting a man on his throat, and on the back of his head, before he shouts at some men who approach him.

The incident sparked protests in the area and outrage on social media against the officer’s behaviour. The Delhi unit of India’s largest opposition party Congress called the officer’s action “very shameful”.

“What could be more shameful than this?” Delhi Congress said in a post on X.

Delhi police said Mr Tomar has been placed under suspension with immediate effect with further disciplinary actions to be taken against him.

“The situation has been normalised and we, along with locals, have asked people to maintain law and order in the area,” deputy commissioner of police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena told local news.

The Delhi police expressed regret over the incident, calling on people to maintain communal harmony.

“The people of North-East district have always supported the police in maintaining law and order. We condemn the Inderlok incident. Strict instructions have been given to all police personnel in light of this incident,” the deputy comissioner of police North East Delhi posted on X.

“We call on the people to maintain communal harmony and not pay heed to rumours,” the DCP said.