'Videos of SDM beating up youths go viral in Ballia, officer suspended'

A senior official of Ballia district administration was on Thursday caught on camera beating up youths and misbehaving with them on the pretext of enforcing a drive for the people to wear face masks.

Two videos of the Bilthara Road SDM Ashok Chaudhary beating up youths went viral on the social media following which the victim youths lodged a complaint with the police.

Taking serious note of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suspended Chaudhary and attached him with the Revenue Board, officials said in Lucknow.

Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant also asked the Ballia district magistrate to probe the matter.

In one of the videos, Chaudhary is seen beating the locals including a person going on a bike with a woman at the main gate of the tehsil while in the other, he is seen entering a shop at the Chowkia traffic intersection and beating up two youths and dragging them on the road.

Along with the SDM, his security personnel are also seen beating up the youths.

The youths later lodged a complaint with police against the SDM.