Police brutality in Kochi: CCTV visuals expose inspector assaulting pregnant woman who questioned husband's custody

Kochi: In a significant development that vindicates a Kochi couple’s year-long struggle for justice, CCTV visuals have surfaced exposing the brutal assault of a pregnant woman by a cop inside the Ernakulam North Police Station. The footage, released following a High Court order, contradicts the police's earlier narrative and shows the then Station House Officer (SHO), Inspector KG Prathap Chandran, slapping NJ Shaimol (43) while her twin babies and husband watched.

The release of the visuals has brought to light the events of June 20, 2024, dismantling the police version that had accused the victim of attacking the station and attempting to harm her own children.

The incident stems from the detention of Shaimol’s husband, Benjo Baby, who was taken into custody for recording police officers in plainclothes (mufti) allegedly assaulting two people in a public space.

The CCTV footage, which Shaimol described as the “only evidence to prove I am innocent,” paints a disturbing picture. It shows Shaimol being pushed by the chest and slapped across the face by SHO Prathap Chandran, who was also in mufti at that time, inside the station. The violence was so aggressive that other officers were seen restraining the Inspector as he attempted to continue the assault.

“Women cops taking the kids from my hand is very clear in the visual,” Shaimol noted, pointing out that the police had falsely booked her under the Juvenile Justice Act for allegedly throwing her children on the floor during the commotion.

“Police’s ego hurt”: The origin of the conflict
According to the couple, the conflict began on the night of June 20, 2024, when Benjo Baby, who runs a lodge near Ernakulam North Railway Station, noticed officers in plainclothes assaulting two youngsters at a nearby lodge.

“There was some illegal activity that took place near the lodge. The police came. Without knowing what it was, I started shooting the video. It was a public place,” recalled Benjo. 

“The cops’ ego was hurt when I started shooting the video. They arrested me, assaulted me in the station, and put me in jail for five days after registering a false case against me,” Benjo said.

When Shaimol heard of her husband's detention, she rushed to the Ernakulam North Station with her children. “When I reached the station, I saw the policemen were assaulting him. I cried aloud and asked them to stop. When I tried to stop them, I was pushed back by my chest and slapped by the inspector. At the same time, the cops hit my husband’s head. All this can be seen in the visuals,” Shaimol said.

Police’s counter-narrative and ‘false cases’
Immediately following the incident, the police spun a different narrative. A case was registered against Shaimol for obstructing police duty. The police accused her of “shattering the glass front door of the police station” and “attempting to throw her children” in a fit of rage.

"A false case was registered against me, accusing me of attacking the police station, harming my children and causing scratch injuries on the inspector. The case is still going on. We needed these visuals to prove our innocence, and we are thankful to the court and God that we finally got it,” Shaimol told the media.

Shaimol, who was reported to be pregnant during the incident, had filed complaints with the Chief Minister and the State Police Chief alleging harassment, stating the SHO had initially tried to coerce her into not filing a complaint before foisting charges upon her.

The couple’s attempts to retrieve the CCTV footage through the Right to Information (RTI) Act were initially stonewalled. The turning point came only through judicial intervention.

On June 28, 2024, following a petition by the couple, the Kerala High Court issued an interim order directing the police to preserve CCTV visuals from midnight of June 18 to midnight of June 20, 2024. Later on July 4, 2024, the Kochi City Police Commissioner was tasked with securing the footage on a storage device.

After a year-long legal battle, on December 1, 2025, Justice VG Arun ordered the High Court Registry to provide a cloned copy of the footage to the couple, if they submitted an appropriate application.

Thus, on Thursday, nearly 18 months after the traumatic night, Shaimol and Benjo finally received the visuals.
“We were forced to be in such a situation where we could not face society. It took many weeks for my family to finally recover from the trauma,” Benjo said.
“I am still in trauma. I fought for nearly a year to get the visual,” Shaimol added.

Inspector KG Prathap Chandran, the officer accused of the assault, is currently serving as the SHO of Aroor Police Station. He was not available for comments.