China's officials sacked over policeman attacking baby

Two police officials in central China's Henan Province have been sacked after a policeman in their bureau threw a baby to the ground after drinking alcohol, local authorities said on Friday. The bureau chief and political commissar of the public security bureau of Linzhou City have been dismissed, while a deputy secretary of the bureau's committee of Communist Party of China (CPC) was removed from his party position, said police authorities in Anyang City, which governs Linzhou. The sackings came after Guo Zengxi, a policeman in Linzhou, grabbed a 7-month-old girl from her parents and threw her to the ground outside a karaoke club after drinking with his friends on July 18. The child was rushed to a local hospital and suffered multiple brain injuries, including a bone fracture and bruising. Guo was also hospitalized after being beaten by locals at the scene. Controversies, however, escalated after reports said Guo was only punished with a 15-day confinement by the city's public security bureau that the policeman works with. On Aug. 19, the Public Security Department of Henan Province said in a statement that the public security bureau of Linzhou had not handled the case lawfully or reported it to higher authorities in a timely manner. Guo has been arrested and will face charges of intentional injury, they said.