Indian man attacks female employee who asked he wear a face mask

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A local government official in India beat a female employee with a chair leg after yanking her to the floor by her hair — all because she asked him to wear a mask, according to reports Tuesday.

Shocking surveillance video shows Nellore tourism boss C. Bhaskar rushing toward the 43-year-old woman as she sits at her desk. He then pulls her to the floor and yanks her around by her hair in front of other staff.

Bhaskar initially grabbed something from his desk to hit the woman –­ identified in local reports as Checuri Usharani –­ while an elderly man grabbed his arm in a failed effort to restrain him.

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As other staff watched in horror, Bhaskar flung the elderly man to the floor, too — then grabbed a chair leg from the floor and started beating his initial target as she cowered there, the Hindustan Times said.

A younger man eventually ran in and stopped the attack — with the video, which has no sound, appearing to show Bhaskar continuing to rant at his victim as she remains on the floor.

C. Bhaskar has been charged will allegedly attacking an employee who asked him to wear a mask. (Andhra Pradesh Police)

Investigators said Bhaskar flipped when the contract worker told him he should be wearing a mask, as worn by all the others seen in the footage, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Enraged at this, Bhaskar allegedly abused her, dragged her from her chair, caught hold of her hair and started beating her on her face and head with a stick pulled out from a wooden chair,” sub-inspector of police K. Venugopal told the Hindustan Times, citing the complaint.

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The attack was on Saturday but, after the clip of the attack went viral, on Tuesday Andhra Pradesh police made a public display of Bhaskar's arrest.

https://twitter.com/APPOLICE100/status/1277878762479120384

He was remanded on charges of assaulting a woman intending to outrage her modesty, using force to dishonor a person and causing injuries using a weapon, police told the Hindustan Times.

The force said it was “committed to women safety & will ensure swift & deterrent action against accused” as it released photos and video of Bhaskar’s arrest.