Officer suspended over netizen's complaint about canteen

Speakers: Nillah Nyakoa and Lu Sirui

[Photo: Baidu.com]

A county police chief has been suspended over his decision to punish a netizen who complained online about the quality of a hospital's food.

The netizen, surnamed Zhang, was told recently by police in Shexian county, Hebei province, that he would be detained for his comments on WeChat Moments and other social media in June about the canteen at Shexian Hospital.

Zhang had complained that prices were too high, citing a bowl of noodles that cost 14 yuan ($2) and no meat in a rice combination meal.

The posts went viral online and led to heated discussion. Police began to investigate after receiving a complaint that Zhang's comments had a negative impact on the hospital's image.

The authorities said Zhang was not actually detained, citing an unspecified health condition.

Furthermore, the public security bureau in Handan, the city that administers Shexian, said it found that Zhang's comments were unfounded, but the punishment was not in line with law.

The head of the Shexian police station has been suspended, and several other police officers involved in the case have been transferred to other posts, the authority said. Zhang was exonerated and has received an apology, it added.

The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.