On Saturday, Checuri Usharani, a differently-abled female employee of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Hotel, was brutally thrashed by her deputy manager C Bhaskar. The incident took place at the hotel in Dargamitta of Nellore city after the victim asked the accused to wear a mask, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1277856738255925249?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIn the CCTV footage that has now gone viral on social media, an enraged Bhaskar could be seen dragging the female employee from her chair onto the ground and throwing blows over her head, face and back. The accused also abused the victim verbally and also hit her with the broken arm of a chair. As per the time stamp in the video, the incident took place on 27th June, 2020.
Following the incident, Usharani lodged a complaint with the Dargamitta police. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered on the basis of the complaint of the victim and investigation is underway. According to the police, Bhaskar had felt insulted after being asked to wear a mask by the victim. Reportedly, Usharani and her husband Veeragandham had earlier rebuked Bhaskar for spreading rumours against her.
Woman rescued by co-workers
During the assault, Usharani’s colleagues had come to her rescue. Her colleagues, namely, Swarnalatha, Hymavathi, Narasimha Rao, and Ravi were able to pacify the situation and snatch the iron object from Bhaskar’s hand. In the CCTV footage, the accused was first stopped by a man in a khaki shirt (who was pushed to the ground), followed by another man dressed in cyan. Meanwhile, another terrified female employee could be seen rushing out of the room.
Charges under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 354, 355 and 324 IPC had been pressed against him. As per reports, the accused would be sent to judicial remand, after medical and Coronavirus test.