Ugandan police to probe reports of officers beating opposition supporters

KAMPALA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Uganda's national police service said on Monday that it would investigate reports that officers had beaten pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine and his supporters at a campaign rally for next month's election.

Wine, 43, said in posts on X on Saturday that security forces had hit him in the face with a cane and that other supporters at the rally in the northern city of Gulu had been treated in hospital after being beaten.

Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is seen as 81-year-old veteran president Yoweri Museveni's main challenger in the vote on January 15.

"Reports of some officers caning civilians during the event have been received. These actions are regrettable, undesirable and unfortunate," the police said on their website.

"Any actions found to be inconsistent with agreed standards of behaviour will be investigated, and appropriate action should be taken against any officer found responsible."

Wine's party, the National Unity Platform, says Museveni's government regularly detains, kidnaps and tortures its members.

The government rejects the allegations and says security forces only detain people on the basis of legitimate suspicions that a crime has been committed.

The electoral commission on Monday urged police to investigate "confrontations" at the rally in Gulu and exercise restraint.

(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema;Editing by Alexander Winning and Kevin Liffey)

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