T’puram: A civil police officer attached to the Pettah police station has been suspended for allegedly failing to follow mandatory arrest procedures.Civil police officer Zulfikar was suspended pending inquiry by Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner after an investigation found serious lapses in his handling of the arrest of the restaurant owner and two employees accused of assaulting four minor students.The incident occurred at Capital Manthi in Pettah on Aug 27. According to the complaint lodged by the students’ parents, the four children had visited the restaurant around 2pm and ordered a half-manthi. After being told that the meal came with unlimited rice, the students asked for a second serving. This allegedly led to an argument, following which the restaurant owner and employees assaulted the children.Following the complaint, police took the restaurant owner and two employees into custody. However, the accused were released on bail on the same day after procedural lapses were pointed out.According to police, Sulfikkar allegedly failed to properly complete the arrest-intimation procedure, under which the relatives of an arrested person have to be formally informed about the arrest. The lapse reportedly created a legal hurdle in producing the accused for remand before the court.The commissioner ordered immediate disciplinary action after the inquiry found that the civil police officer had committed a serious dereliction of duty and that his lapses had benefited the accused.Police are also examining whether any other officers were involved in the procedural lapses.The suspension comes amid scrutiny of the police response to the alleged assault of the four minors at the restaurant.
