A fruit vendor in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri was thrashed by locals after they accused him of spitting gargled water on the watermelons.
The Kheri police on Tuesday said that after a probe and questioning of locals, the allegations made against the vendor turned out to be ‘false and baseless’.
The police, however, also dismissed the allegations made by vendor Chand Ali that policemen present there also thrashed him. Talking to a local TV channel, Mr. Ali showed bruises and swelling on his neck, arm and hamstrings, alleging that he was beaten up by the public and the police.
“Public surrounded me and started hitting me. Police didn’t help, they hit me,” he said.
The Kheri police said a team from the Kotwali Sadar police station reached the spot on April 25 after the allegation was circulated on Whatsapp groups and that local women had caught hold of him.
“Due to the heat he was carrying a bottle of water with him. Then a few local youths came there and stated creating a ruckus,” said the Kheri police.
