CHENNAI: In an incident that immediately drew parallels to the murder of 46-year-old George Floyd in the US, a Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable was caught on video kneeling on the neck of a youth at the Tiruvottiyur railway station in Chennai. The incident has sparked widespread outrage after the footage of the manhandling, shot by commuters on the platform, was shared on social media.
The disturbing footage, which rapidly went viral, shows the uniformed official first pressing one knee on the youth’s neck as he lies on the platform.
He holds the youth’s face with his hands while pressing him to the ground. When the youth attempts to move him using his hands, the cop then completely sits on his chest, pinning him down with his entire body weight. He also slaps the youth’s face a couple of times.
The youth can later be heard repeatedly saying “chalo,” asking the constable to get off him. The constable, who has pinned the youth’s arms to the ground, is seen at one point gesturing to his uniform, asking him in Hindi if he knew what it meant.
The incident reminded all of the method that the police used to subdue George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. Floyd died, sparking the Black Lives Matter protest, and his last words – “I can’t breathe” – became a commentary about ordinary lives facing authoritarian brutality.
The youth can later be heard repeatedly saying “chalo,” asking the constable to get off him. The constable, who has pinned the youth’s arms to the ground, is seen at one point gesturing to his uniform, asking him in Hindi if he knew what it meant.
The incident reminded all of the method that the police used to subdue George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. Floyd died, sparking the Black Lives Matter protest, and his last words – “I can’t breathe” – became a commentary about ordinary lives facing authoritarian brutality.
According to police sources, the episode happened on February 11 at the Tiruvottiyur railway station. The youth, said to be an inebriated guest worker, had allegedly travelled without a ticket in the first-class compartment of a suburban train from Chennai to Gummidipoondi.
When the train arrived at Tiruvottiyur, a travelling ticket examiner caught him and handed him over to RPF personnel. When the personnel were questioning him, the youth allegedly became unruly, after which the constable pushed him onto the platform.
Meanwhile, the RPF has not yet revealed the identity of the constable, but said a departmental inquiry has been initiated, after which action is likely to be initiated against the constable. The man who was pinned down had not filed an official complaint, police sources said.
(With Online Desk inputs)