Recently, Henan’s Zhoukou Taikang County was hit by heavy rain, where an 83-year-old man accidentally fell into the water while trying to evacuate from the flood. Two nearby police officers witnessed the incident but did not come to his aid, sparking outrage online after the incident was exposed.
According to reports from Dahe Daily and Red Star News, Mr. Feng, a villager who works outside the hometown, had only his aged parents – both in their eighties – at home. On June 19, heavy rain poured down on Ge Gang Village in Wangji Township, Taikang County, causing flooding in Mr. Feng’s home. Due to the situation, his parents had to evacuate, during which his father fell into the water by accident. The police at the scene witnessed the entire process but did not step forward to help.
Surveillance footage showed that when the elderly man fell for the first time, the two police officers nearby were alerted by the noise but did not enter the water to assist. A nearby elderly lady with a cane went to help, and the man struggled to stand in the water before falling again. The elderly lady sought help from the police, but they just waved their hands and then walked away.
“My mother was also in the water, so I went up to help. The old man couldn’t be lifted up all at once because of his age. The two police officers were not far away, telling us to be slow, but they just wouldn’t come to lend a hand,” Mr. Feng said. Finally, with the assistance of other neighbors, the two elderly people were safely evacuated. Currently, both elderly individuals are in stable condition, but they have some leg pain and feel a bit uncomfortable in the head.
Mr. Feng questioned: “Wearing police uniforms, they saw an elderly person fall and did not help? What kind of ‘people’s police’ is this?”
The incident quickly stirred up online discussions, with many netizens condemning the police officers’ indifference, saying, “If the police won’t help people, what’s the use of their uniform?” “Are they afraid of getting their clothes wet?” “More and more people lack humanity.” “They should be dismissed from their positions.” “Even normal people wouldn’t look on so coldly, yet the police officers managed to do so.” “Dismissal is a light punishment! If the old man had an accident, it would be dereliction of duty!”
Under public pressure, the relevant person in charge of the Taikang County Public Security Bureau responded to the media, stating that the involved police officer Wei X, who is an instructor at the Wangji Police Station, has been dismissed from his position, while the auxiliary police officer Li X F has been given a disciplinary warning.