Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday ordered the suspension of three police officers accused of lathi-charging bank customers standing in a queue in the Fatehpur district. They were identified as district police chief Ram Kishore, Kishanpur station officer Sanjay Kumar Yadav and home guard Gulab Yadav. The chief minister said, “The job of the police is to help people who are troubled by demonetisation.”

On November 21, a video clip showing policemen hitting people standing outside the State Bank of India’s Kishanpur branch went viral on social media platforms. An official told The Times of India, “Fatehpur is a backward district and villagers have been facing a lot of difficulty because of demonetisation. The crowd must have been desperate to reach the counters because of the limited cash supply to rural pockets. The home guard who was deputed at the bank lost his cool and cane-charged the crowd.”

The district’s inspector-general has been ordered to submit a report on the matter to the home department and police personnel have been directed to be sensitive with bank customers and to use force only in extreme situations. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Daljeet Singh Chawdhary said, “Unruly people in the mob will be detained and taken to the police station.”

The country has been grappling with a cash crunch since the Centre demonetised the high-value currency notes. The Supreme Court had observed that the long queues seen outside banks since the move was announced was serious problem that could even lead to riots. The surprise decision has also met with massive criticism from Opposition parties.