By IANS,
New Delhi: An American journalist who alleged he was beaten up by Delhi Police after being mistaken for a car thief left India Friday but sought a probe into the incident and $500,000 in compensation.
Joel Elliot, 30, who boarded an Emirates flight to the US, told reporters that he met officials in the US embassy here and demanded an inquiry into the assault on him.
He added that he had asked for $500,000 in compensation for the physical and mental torture he had to endure. He wants that policemen who attacked him should be suspended.
Elliot, who worked with the Delhi magazine Caravan and freelanced for the New York Times and Global Post, said he was beaten up by policemen Tuesday for allegedly breaking into a car in an inebriated state.
He said the police attacked him viciously. In the process, he suffered cuts ands bruises, a black eye, stitches on the forehead and more injuries on the chest and other parts of the body.
According to Elliot, he unknowingly got into the middle of an altercation between the police and a stranger when a policeman hit him. In anger he retaliated and quickly ran to hide in a taxi.
The driver thought he was a thief and then the police caught up with him.
The police said he was drunk and was spotted by a security guard while trying to break into a taxi.
“We have not received any complaint from him. So no case has been registered (against our men),” said a police officer.