By IANS
Patna : A case was lodged against the cops who tortured an alleged chain-snatcher at Nathnagar town in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district Wednesday, a day after violent clashes and protests over the incident rocked the town.
The situation in Nathnagar returned to normal after an angry crowd Tuesday threw stones at a police station. The agitated people were protesting the police high-handedness and beating of a youth, Mohammad Aurangzeb alias Saleem, who was allegedly caught snatching a gold chain from a woman.
The youth was thrashed and brutally tortured by police Monday. TV footage showed a cop dragging him through the street tied to the back of a motorcycle.
Aurangzeb, in his early 20s, a resident of Nathnagar, about 150 km from here, was hospitalised in a critical condition. His condition was improving Wednesday, according to officials.
A senior official in the state police headquarters here said a complaint has been registered against the policemen and they have been issued a show cause notice. The accused cops, Ramchandra Rai and L.B. Singh, were suspended Tuesday.
“If a policeman doesn’t respect the people, he has no right to hold the post,” said State Home Secretary Afzal Amanullah.
“The chief minister has ordered a probe into the incident and the Bhagalpur district superintendent of police has been asked to conduct the probe,” Amanullah said.
Bihar police spokesperson Inspector General Anil Sinha said action had been taken against the accused and the officer-in-charge of Nathnagar police station had been asked to submit a report soon.
But Sinha tried to downplay the incident, alleging that Aurangzeb had a criminal background. “There were criminal cases lodged against him. He was a known criminal in the area,” Sinha said.
Monday’s incident has come as an embarrassment for the state government.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s political rival, Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, was the first to demand a case against the policemen under Section 308 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt to culpable homicide).
Human rights organisations have condemned the incident and demanded immediate action against the policemen.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Tuesday issued notice to Bihar Police to produce a report on the incident and indicated it could send a team to Bhagalpur to investigate the case.