Panaji, Dec 26 (IANS): A year after a local journalist accused two police officials here of misbehaving with him just because he was a Hindi-speaking non-Goan, an internal police enquiry has confirmed the allegation.

In his report, Superintendent of Police (Crime) Kartik Kashyap said on Saturday that journalist Mukesh Kumar was dealt with in a biased manner "which might have been (the case) because he was speaking in Hindi".

Mukesh Kumar, who worked as a reporter with a local cable news channel, had complained to the police in December last year that Inspector P.K. Vast and Sub-Inspector Vikram Naik verbally abused him and roughed him up for looking and sounding like a Hindi speaking person from outside the state.

The incident happened at the Panaji police station. Mukesh Kumar had sought police help after he was threatened by four or five people.

Police officials P.K. Vast and Vikram Naik, have maintained that the charges against them were false.

SP Kartik Kashyap said it seemed that others involved in the brawl with Mukesh Kumar were given "preferential treatment", but it did not appear that Inspector Vast had physically assaulted him.

Filed with the Director General of Police, Kashyap's report also says that the two police officials had been "verbally advised" to show restraint with members of the media and other visitors by the Deputy Inspector General of Police.