Rampurhat, May 13: He had called out for his uncle ( mama) but the policeman thought it was a reference to him as cops are derided as mama in Bengal.

A 12-year-old was beaten up by a policeman in Birbhum's Rampurhat today when the boy called out to his uncle, who was courting arrest at a law-violation programme by Citu. The constable thought the boy was ridiculing him.

The boy, Saheb Sheikh, a resident of Bholla village, about 5km from Rampurhat town, has been hospitalised.

Saheb was standing at a distance from where the Citu activists were courting arrest and was relieving himself beside the road when a policeman gestured to him not to do so.

"I had come to see Rampurhat town with my mama, who had promised me to buy sweets," the boy said.

"When the policeman waved at me, I became scared and shouted out to mama. But suddenly, another policeman ran towards me and said: 'Amake mama bolchhis, bandar chhele (You are calling me mama, you monkey of a boy)?'" Saheb said.

"I tried to tell him that I did not call him mama but was referring to my uncle, but he started beating me up with a stick," Saheb said from the hospital bed.

"I fell to the ground. The policeman hit me on my hip and thighs. I began to cry," he added.

As the boy screamed in pain, a group of villagers, including his two uncles, rushed in and protested.

A paternal uncle of Saheb, Sheikh Saifuddin, said: "When we asked the policeman why he was beating up the child, he said the boy had called him ' mama'. But the boy was crying and shouting that he had called his own maternal uncle. We were surprised at the attitude of the policeman. The boy came with us as we had promised to buy him sweets."

Sheikh Mohan, whom Saheb had called, said: "What is this? Can't anyone call his mama in front of the police? I want punishment for the policeman."

Police officers in the district identified the constable as Kinkar Mondal, 51.

"It is common to deride policemen by calling them mama. The constable should not have beaten up the boy," an officer said.

Mondal, who is attached to Mayureswar police station, claimed Saheb had called him " mama" to insult him.

"The boy was continuously calling me mama to insult me. When I confronted him, he said: 'Besh korechhi (What I did was right.)' I lost my temper and hit him lightly only twice with my stick," the constable said.

Saheb has been admitted to Rampurhat sub-divisional hospital. A doctor said: "We have prescribed an X-ray of his left arm as there is a swelling. He has suffered bruises on his hip, thighs and hands."

Kamal Hussein, Saheb's elder cousin, said a police complaint would be lodged against the constable.