SHRC issues notice to Bihar police

The notice has been issued by SHRC chairman Justice S N Jha after a posse of Nalanda police went berserk and mercilessly thrashed women and children.

The barbaric incident, in which 25 persons sustained serious injuries, took place at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s home district Nalanda. It happened on the day when the US Congress was showering encomiums on the JD (U) strongman for ushering in ‘good governance’ in a backward state like Bihar.

Nitish, who watched TV footage of police raining lathi blows on hapless women and children, asked ADG (Headquarters) Rajyavardhan Sharma to visit the incident site and suspend the guilty cops.

Twelve policemen, who were identified, have been placed under suspension. “Efforts are on to identify others too,” said the ADG, adding that prima facie it appeared that excessive force was used and women were chased before being beaten up ruthlessly by the local police.

The DGP, who is in Delhi attending a meeting, said the policemen who had assaulted the innocent villagers would face speedy trial.

The scuffle between police and villagers began when one Rambalak Prasad went to the police station to lodge an FIR that his wife Sushma Kumari was kidnapped by the relatives of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Ashok Singh. The ASI refused to lodge the complaint saying that Sushma might have been murdered.

The said ASI was alleged to have an illicit relationship with Rambalak’s sister and the couple (Rambalak and his wife) was opposed to the relationship.

The crowd had gathered at the police station to protest the ASI’s misdemeanour.
Meanwhile, RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday charged:   “The atrocities on weaker sections have increased manifold in Nitish regime.”

He said a party delegation led by Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Abdul Bari Siddiqui would visit Nalanda to get a first-hand account of the police atrocities.