Police said SI Dinesh Keshav was driving under the influence of liquor.

According to the police, Keshav was going to his Uttam Nagar residence in his Santro after work — he is posted in Tilak Nagar Traffic Circle — when a Maruti 800 hit his car from behind.

“One Raghubir Singh, a businessman, was travelling with his wife and children in the Maruti. After it hit Keshav’s car, the SI got out and started abusing Singh and also slapped him,” a senior police official said.

Humiliated, Singh called a few of his friends to the spot. “Together, they chased Keshav’s car and intercepted him. The eight men dragged him out of his car and beat him up, after which Keshav called the police control room,” an officer said.

“When we reached the spot, SI Keshav was bleeding. We took both the parties to the police station and sent them for a medical examination,” the officer said.

Talking to Newsline, Raghubir Singh said: “He (Keshav) was drunk. He slapped me and abused my wife. He said, ‘I am from the police and no one can touch me.’ He was in uniform.”

A case under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) has been registered against Keshav, while Singh, a resident of Vikaspuri, was booked under Sections 279, 341 (wrongful restraint) and 327.