Bihar: Nawada SP puts subordinates in lockup; police association demands FIR

A superintendent of police in Bihar’s Nawada district allegedly put five subordinates inside a lockup for two hours as he was dissatisfied with their performance. The SP and the Nawada Nagar police station in-charge, where the incident took place on Thursday, have denied the allegations, but the CCTV footage of the incident is going viral on social media. The Bihar Police Association demanded an inquiry against the SP.

The story

As per the sources, Nawada Superintendent of Police (SP), who reached the police station around 9 pm to review cases, became angry after finding negligence on the part of the police personnel. He then ordered them to be locked up. They were let out around midnight. The officer rubbished the allegations but soon a video went viral followed by the CCTV footage.

SP: CCTV video fake

The SP has termed the purported video and CCTV footage as “fake news”. The CCTV footage in circulation purportedly showed policemen in the lockup. They are identified as sub-Inspectors (SI) Shatrughan Paswan and Ramrekha Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASI) Santosh Paswan, Sanjay Singh, and Rameshwar Uraon. Senior officials have declined to comment on the issue.

CCTV footage cannot be tampered with: Police association president

Bihar Police Association president Mrityunjay Kumar Singh said that he tried calling SP Mangla but received no response. He then issues a press release on the matter on Saturday. As per the media reports, he said the SP could have tampered with the CCTV demanding an immediate FIR in the case against Mangla. “We got the information soon after the incident took place at our Nawada branch and it is being discussed on WhatsApp groups of police personnel as well. Incidents like these are reminiscent of the colonial period. The incident is the first of its kind and could tarnish the image of Bihar Police. We demand a judicial probe and a thorough investigation of the CCTV footage,” he said. He said that Mangla’s action had demoralized junior officers.

Chief Secretary warns top officials

According to an India Today report, Bihar Chief Secretary Amir Subhani, taking cognizance of the matter, issued a letter to top officials, instructing them to behave well with the employees working under them. Subhani said incidents of using unparliamentary language without any reason and harassment will not be tolerated. – INDIA NEWS STREAM