<p class="title">Few hours before Independence day, an officer in uniform met humiliation at the hands of six drunken men, who thrashed the officer and made him touch their feet.</p>.<p class="title">The incident took place in the forest on the foothills of a hill temple in Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district. </p>.<p class="bodytext">According to officials, the men stopped their car near the forest office in Sunnipenta area and started to consume alcohol.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Section Forest Officer Jyothi Swaroop, who was on duty, told them that consuming alcohol in forest is banned. He also asked them to furnish their identity.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The youths then started manhandling him and abused the officer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“How dare you question the son of an MLC?” they said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A video shows Swaroop haplessly trying to protect himself from the assault. <span>He is seen holding the hands of a man identified as Dayanand Reddy, who claimed to be the son of former Andhra Pradesh MLC Ranga Reddy.</span></p>.<p class="bodytext">But, the youths went on insisting that the officer touch Dayanand's feet.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The officer obliged, apparently fearing for life.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, Ranga Reddy dismissed Dayanand's claim and said he didn't know any on the youths.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He called them 'goons' and asked police to give them stringent punishment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The MLC's only son Vijaydev works in the US but came home for his father's birthday. He also said that he did not know any of the attackers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, it is said that the youth is distantly related to Ranga Reddy and had misused his name.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“We are not in touch with some of our relatives for more than a decade. If any of them misused my father's name, give them more effective punishment", Vijay said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I advised them not to booze in the forest area since it is banned. They went on thrashing me. I lodged a complaint with the police, " Swaroop told local media.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The police have registered a case against the youths on charges of assaulting a public servant on duty, criminal intimidation, trespassing and insulting a public servant.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The police have detained five of the attackers and one managed to escape.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The injured section officer, Jyothi Swaroop, was treated at a local hospital.</p>
<p class="title">Few hours before Independence day, an officer in uniform met humiliation at the hands of six drunken men, who thrashed the officer and made him touch their feet.</p>.<p class="title">The incident took place in the forest on the foothills of a hill temple in Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district. </p>.<p class="bodytext">According to officials, the men stopped their car near the forest office in Sunnipenta area and started to consume alcohol.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Section Forest Officer Jyothi Swaroop, who was on duty, told them that consuming alcohol in forest is banned. He also asked them to furnish their identity.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The youths then started manhandling him and abused the officer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“How dare you question the son of an MLC?” they said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A video shows Swaroop haplessly trying to protect himself from the assault. <span>He is seen holding the hands of a man identified as Dayanand Reddy, who claimed to be the son of former Andhra Pradesh MLC Ranga Reddy.</span></p>.<p class="bodytext">But, the youths went on insisting that the officer touch Dayanand's feet.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The officer obliged, apparently fearing for life.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, Ranga Reddy dismissed Dayanand's claim and said he didn't know any on the youths.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He called them 'goons' and asked police to give them stringent punishment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The MLC's only son Vijaydev works in the US but came home for his father's birthday. He also said that he did not know any of the attackers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, it is said that the youth is distantly related to Ranga Reddy and had misused his name.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“We are not in touch with some of our relatives for more than a decade. If any of them misused my father's name, give them more effective punishment", Vijay said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I advised them not to booze in the forest area since it is banned. They went on thrashing me. I lodged a complaint with the police, " Swaroop told local media.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The police have registered a case against the youths on charges of assaulting a public servant on duty, criminal intimidation, trespassing and insulting a public servant.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The police have detained five of the attackers and one managed to escape.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The injured section officer, Jyothi Swaroop, was treated at a local hospital.</p>
