Sometimes, we collectively fail to remember that appearance can be deceptive.
In August 2015, a footage of an allegedly drunk policeman in a metro train in Delhi went viral on social media. The news also made it to the front page of many dailies and led to a flurry of TV debates on the safety of metro commuters.
Following which the then commissioner B S Bassi suspended the head constable Salim seen in the video though he claimed to have not been drunk.
It has now come to light that Salim indeed wasn’t drunk.
On the evening of 19 August, 2015, Salim had felt ill at work. He reportedly suffered a blackout after he boarded the train. When it came to a halt at the Azadpur station, Salim lost his balance and fell down which was then interpreted as him being in an ‘inebriated state’ by many fellow passengers.
Salim (50) had suffered a stroke. The blockage in his brain caused a brain hemorrhage that paralyzed the left part of the body. He now suffers from a speech disorder and is in his native state Kerala on three months’ medical leave. His wife is reportedly receiving treatment for a stroke she had suffered after her husband’s unfortunate humiliation.
What the newspapers failed to report was that Salim was reinstated in November.
A police inquiry revealed that Salim indeed wasn’t drunk and had suffered a stroke. The police department also declared his suspension period as “spent on duty”.
In addition to seeking compensation for the irresponsible act of uploading the video and media coverage which had “irreparably maligned his image in the eyes of the public”, Salim has urged the Centre to take steps to remove the video and identify measures to prevent such abuse of social media in the future.
Salim also demanded the Delhi government, the police commissioner, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, and the Press Council of India to take steps to help him “regain his lost dignity by publishing the correct factual position in some prominent places, print and electronic media”.
“When the video went viral and Salim was suspended, it made front page news. When he was taken back, not a single newspaper or TV channel carried it. In the eyes of the general public, the petitioner was drunk in the metro and he is still under suspension,” said Salim’s lawyer, Wills Mathews to the Daily Mail.
