Mumbai, January 27: A policeman from the Vikhroli police station was roughed up by a crowd on Friday night at Vikhroli (East), after he inadvertently bumped his bike into a three-year-old boy, causing him minor injuries.

One person has been arrested in connection to the case and a complaint of deterring a public servant from doing his duty has been registered against two others.

According to the police, Anil Rangnath Pandey, a constable of the Vikhroli police station was doing his rounds at Janta Market in Kannamvar Nagar on Friday night when Nilesh Chaudhary (3) suddenly ran out in front of his bike. Pandey immediately applied the brakes, but could not stop in time. The bumper of his bike hit Nilesh, who was thrown on the road due to the impact and suffered minor injuries.

A scuffle broke out between Pandey and the local residents, who allegedly beat up Pandey and also damaged his bike in the process.

“We have arrested Shashikant Dattu Mane (40), a resident of Bajiwada slum in Kannamvar Nagar. We have also registered a case against two others for deterring a public servant from doing his duty. The crowd roughed up the police constable, who had in fact applied the brakes in time after the child ran into his path,” said Senior Police Inspector S K Naik of the Vikhroli police station.

After the accident, Pandey immediately picked up the child and took him to a nearby local clinic, say police sources. The boy was then taken to Rajwadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, where he was treated for his injuries and discharged later.

“The crowd not only pushed around Pandey, but also started manhandling his vehicle. The damage to government property is estimated to be about Rs 3,500. They damaged the petrol tank of the bike, as well as its mudguards,” added Naik.