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Tunachokijua
A video circulating on social media shows police officers physically struggling with a man in civilian clothing as they attempt to arrest him in Kihihi, Kanungu District.Some social media posts claim that the man is the Officer in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (OC-CID) in Kanungu and that he was beaten for resisting arrest over allegations of rape following an arrest ordered by Hon. Balaam Barugahara.
CLAIM
A video circulating on social media claims to show the OC-CID Kanungu being beaten by fellow police officers after resisting arrest over alleged rape.The posts also link the arrest to an anti-corruption rally organised by Hon. Balaam Barugahara in Kihihi.
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FACT CHECK
The claim is partly false and misleading.In a clarification about the video, Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said that the man in the video is a retired Assistant Inspector of Police, not the OC-CID Kanungu.
According to Rusoke, the arrest relates to an alleged assault on the man's biological sister arising from a land dispute. Police investigated the matter and submitted the case file to the Resident Senior State Attorney, who advised that the suspect and his wife be charged with attempted murder.
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Rusoke said two previous attempts to arrest the retired officer had been unsuccessful because he reportedly evaded arrest.
The man was eventually arrested at an anti-corruption rally organised by Hon. Balaam Barugahara in Kihihi.
According to the police spokesperson, the suspect allegedly resisted arrest and punched officers as they attempted to place him on a police pickup. Officers then used force to subdue him before taking him to the Central Police Station.
Police acknowledged concerns about the amount of force used during the arrest but said the reported resistance was relevant to understanding the circumstances. Rusoke emphasised that the alleged resistance did not, by itself, establish whether the force used by the officers was justified.
He said police would examine the full circumstances of the incident, including the conduct of both the officers and the suspect.
VERDICT
Misleading.The man in the video is a retired Assistant Inspector of Police, not the OC-CID Kanungu. Police say the arrest followed allegations of assaulting his biological sister in a land dispute, with the state attorney advising charges of attempted murder against him and his wife. Police have also acknowledged concerns about the force used and said the circumstances of the arrest and the conduct of those involved will be investigated.
