A court in Singapore has sentenced a 24-year-old Indian-origin man, Devesh Raj Rajasegaran, to five weeks in jail for assaulting a Singapore police officer while intoxicated. The incident occurred during a rowdy altercation involving over 10 men in the central business district.
According to reports, Devesh Rajasegaran pleaded guilty earlier this year to voluntarily causing hurt. The assault left the police officer unconscious for at least a minute and resulted in temporary memory loss.
Devesh Rajasegaran plans to appeal against the sentence.
The court heard that the incident took place on June 25, 2022, when police responded to reports of a disturbance on Circular Road. Devesh Rajasegaran, along with his friend Eeshwar Ravi, had been drinking nearby when officers arrived at the scene.
While three of the officers were volunteer police in civilian attire, they approached the group amidst the commotion. As two officers were interviewing a member of the group, Devesh intervened and struck the police officer on the head, causing him to lose consciousness momentarily.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Brian Tan noted Devesh’s state of intoxication during the assault, emphasizing the severity of the consequences for the victim. The injured officer was subsequently hospitalized and experienced intermittent loss of consciousness before being treated for memory loss and severe headaches over several days.
Under Singaporean law, voluntarily causing hurt carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to SGD 5,000 (approximately Rs 3.08 lakh), or both.
The incident underscores the serious consequences of alcohol-fueled altercations and the legal repercussions individuals face for assaulting law enforcement officers.
