Rudrapur, Aug. 23 -- A special sessions court dealing with cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Pithoragarh sentenced a former station officer of Munsyari police station to two years in jail for assaulting and abusing a cafe owner in 2019, officials said, adding, the accused was later granted interim bail on Thursday. Pramod Pant, government counsel in Pithoragarh, said the Scheduled Tribe cafe owner Vikram Singh Jangpangi had lodged an FIR against then SO Pradeep Singh Chauhan. According to the prosecution, Chauhan visited his cafe on October 14, 2019, and asked for a chair. As the cafe was crowded, Jangpangi was unable to provide it. The officer allegedly returned to the cafe later that night and assaulted Jangpangi and abused him over his Scheduled Tribe status, Pant said. He also allegedly issued him a Rs.250 challan and obtained his signature on a blank piece of paper. Jangpangi subsequently approached senior police officers seeking action against Chauhan. Special sessions judge (SC/ST Act) Dhananjay Chaturvedi sentenced Chauhan to two years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs.15,000, Pant said, adding that the court subsequently granted the former police officer interim bail.htc...