NEW DELHI: A viral video showing a food vendor breaking down and pleading with a Delhi Police constable in west Delhi’s Janakpuri has triggered a controversy, with the vendor alleging that the policeman threw away his food and disrupted his livelihood.Hours after the video gained traction on social media, Delhi Police rejected the allegations, claiming that the vendor himself scattered the food items on the ground to create a scene and falsely implicate the policeman.Police said an internal inquiry found the allegations to be baseless and maintained that the incident occurred during an anti-encroachment drive following complaints about obstruction of a pedestrian pathway near Kali Mata Mandir in Janakpuri District Centre.The viral video shows the vendor wailing beside his utensils strewn across the ground, while a crowd gathers around a policeman, accusing him of abusing his authority as he speaks on the phone.The vendor alleged that the policeman had thrown away the food he was selling.“I don’t fight with anyone ever. I just come here for two hours to earn a living,” he is heard saying in the video.Responding to the controversy, a police officer said an inquiry into the incident found the allegations to be false.“Several members of the public gathered at the spot and were seen confronting and blaming the policeman over the alleged act,” the officer said.According to Delhi Police, the incident took place on August 1 after complaints were received regarding encroachment of the pedestrian pathway near Kali Mata Mandir in the Janakpuri District Centre area.Police said an argument broke out after officers asked the vendor to remove the encroachment from the footpath.“During the action, the vendor himself threw his food items on the ground while resisting lawful directions and started shouting so that people would gather and blame the police officer,” the officer said.Following the incident, the vendor was booked under Section 285 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) of the BNS, police said.The police further claimed that the vendor was a repeat offender who had previously been booked for a similar violation, and appealed to the public not to be misled by rumours circulating on social media.(With PTI inputs)
