By IANS
Patna : An alleged chain snatcher in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district was battling for life in a hospital after he was beaten by a mob and then two policemen tied him to the back of a motorcycle and dragged him along the ground.
Mohammad Aurangzeb alias Saleem of Nathnagar town in Bhagalpur, about 150 km from here, was first severely beaten with leather belts, rods and stones by people Monday after he was caught on suspicion of snatching a woman’s chain.
According to local social activist Santosh Kumar, Aurangzeb, a rickshaw puller in his early twenties, was beaten brutally by people. “He was caught after some people chased him. Soon a mob gathered and started beating him after tying his hands behind him. He was crying for help but nobody cared.”
Two policemen soon reached the spot but instead of rescuing him, they tied one of his legs to the back of their motorcycle and dragged him along the rough and bumpy road for not less than 100 metres.
Aurangzeb was badly bruised in the process.
According to Bhagalpur district officials, the man was admitted in a government hospital in a critical condition.
“He is undergoing treatment but his condition remains critical,” an official said Tuesday.
Bihar Police chief A.R. Sinha Tuesday suspended the two policemen, Ramchandra Rai and L.B. Singh after TV news channels here showed footage of the entire episode.
Bihar police spokesperson Inspector General Anil Sinha said that action had been taken against the two policemen involved in the incident and asked the officer in charge of the Nathnagar police station to submit a report soon.
Sinha downplayed the incident saying Aurangzeb had a criminal background. “There were criminal cases lodged against him, he was a known criminal in the area,” he said.
Human rights organisations have condemned the incident and demanded immediate action against police.
Meanwhile, Aurangzeb’s grandmother and sister were running from pillar to post for over 24 hours to meet district officials and tell them to hand him over to them. “We are poor, no one take our words seriously,” the sister said.