Andhra Pradesh Tourism employee caught on camera assaulting differently-abled woman who asked him to wear mask; arrested

A senior employee of the tourism department of Andhra Pradesh was arrested after a video showing him dragging a differently-abled woman colleague by the hair and assaulting her went viral on social media.

Quoting the police, a report in NDTV  identified the perpetrator as C Bhaskar Rao, a deputy manager working at a hotel run by the tourism department in Nellore. According to the report, the police said that Rao got enraged after the woman pointed out he was not wearing a mask and asked him to wear one in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The incident took place on 27 June.

In a CCTV-video which has been shared widely on social media, Rao in an orange shirt, can be seen walking out of a cabin, dragging the woman by her hair and raining blows on her with an object. Two to three other people can be seen intervening, one man wrestles the object out of Rao’s hands. The video ends with another person leading Rao out of the room.

(The video is disturbing and viewer discretion is advised.)

#WATCH An employee of a hotel in Nellore under Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department beat up a woman colleague on 27th June following a verbal spat. Case registered against the man under relevant sections. pic.twitter.com/6u9HjlXvOR

— ANI (@ANI) June 30, 2020

The NDTV report states that the woman was severely injured.

According to a Hindustan Times report, the woman later lodged a complaint with the police with the help of her colleagues. According to ANI,  the complaint also mentions that the two had previous enmity.

A case has been registered under IPC sections 354, 355 and 324 said the Nellore Police, adding that Rao has been arrested and sent to judicial remand.

@APPOLICE100
A case vide Crime No 362/2020 u/s 354, 355 and 324 IPC was booked on 27.06.2020.
The accused was arrested and is being sent for judicial remand.
Nellore District Police is extremely sensitive to any violation or crime against women.
Women Safety is our top priority.

— Nellore Police (@sp_nlr) June 30, 2020

According to the HT report, Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang directed the Disha police station (exclusive police stations to deal with crime against women) to take up the investigation into the Nellore tourism hotel incident and file the charge sheet in the case within one week.