Fact Check: 2017 video of Hyd cop assaulted by driver shared as recent

Hyderabad: A video of a policeman who was reportedly assaulted by a citizen is being shared on WhatsApp claiming that it is a recent incident. WhatsApp users are sharing the video and complaining about the lack of police protection in Hyderabad.

A text accompanying the video reads, "This is the situation of the police in the old town. This took place yesterday. If there is no protection for the police, how will common people like us have protection?"

FACT CHECK

NewsMeter performed a reverse image search that led us to a YouTube video uploaded by TV5 News in 2017. The title suggests that a man assaulted a policeman when the latter questioned him about car parking. A report by ETV states that the incident took place in Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad.

The Hyderabad City police clarified via Twitter that the incident took place in 2017 and not recently. They also said that a case was registered under sections 353, 324, and 506 of the IPC. The FIR mentions the date as 7 January 2017.

Good evening sir, the above mentioned incident was occurred on 7-01-2017 under Asif nagar police station limits and a case was registered in Cr. No. 08/2017 U/S 353,324,506 IPC.

— హైదరాబాద్ సిటీ పోలీస్ Hyderabad City Police (@hydcitypolice) May 8, 2022

According to the FIR, the policeman was clearing traffic at Asifnagar when he noticed a car parked in front of a college gate. He informed the man responsible for the traffic jam, but the man cussed at him and pushed him with the car causing him to fall down. The cop was dragged for around 10-15 meters.

Multiple credible media outlets reported the incident in 2017.

Evidently, the incident did not take place recently. Hence, the claim is misleading.