Lucknow, Sept. 21: A septuagenarian typist was abused and his typewriter kicked away by a cop during an anti-encroachment drive captured on camera, bringing a compensation of Rs 1 lakh from a stung Akhilesh Yadav government and a new typing machine.

Sub-inspector Pradip Kumar has been suspended for Saturday's atrocity on Krishna Kumar outside Lucknow's main post office, not far from the state secretariat, where the 72-year-old said he earned Rs 50 to Rs 100 daily typing out petitions and official letters.

"I refused to vacate the place, which I have held on to for the last three decades, when police came. But he (sub-inspector) hurled abuses at me and kicked my Remington typewriter off the stool, after which it rolled on to a corner of the road. I pray to god that this nightmare does not befall anyone," said Krishna Kumar, whose son is married with a kid and runs a grocery shop.

But a lot has changed in the past 48 hours, after photographer Ashutosh Tripathi uploaded his pictures of the incident on Facebook and WhatsApp.

District magistrate Raj Sekhar handed Krishna Kumar over a new Facit typewriter yesterday and today, chief minister Akhilesh announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh.

Onlookers, government officials and social workers have made a beeline to his home, the sudden burst of public sympathy surprising Tripathi.

The lensman said that although he had put up the photos to draw attention to the crackdown, he had never expected such response. "The atrocity and the elderly man's struggle to stay relevant with his old typewriter in a world of rapid technological change has caught the imagination of people," Tripathi said.

Krishna Kumar acknowledged that eking out a living as a typist wasn't easy in the age of instant emails and state-of-the-art copiers. He said it was tough for him "at this age to race with new technologies". "There were times when customers used to wait and this typewriter helped me tide over my woes. Gone are those days. Yet I go to the place carrying this typewriter with which I've developed a deep bond."

This morning, Krishna Kumar was back at his spot near the post office, with a chair and a small table donated by a social worker.

Pradip Kumar, the suspended cop facing a barrage of scorn, has apologised, and his victim is all for forgiveness. "He is my son's age. He should be given a chance to mend his ways. Please forgive him," Krishna Kumar said.

This evening, Krishna Kumar allegedly got a call from a person saying he "had not done a good thing". The person hung up when the typist wanted to know who was calling, SHO Vijay Mal Yadav said.