Police brutality generates heat in Bihar political circles

Patna, Aug 29 (UNI) The National Executive(NE) of the CPI today strongly condemned the police excesses at Nathnagar in Bhagalpur district, where a chain snatcher was brutally beaten in public, demanding immediate dismissal and arrest of the guilty.

Expressing concern over the incident, the party, in a release, said that such policemen had no right to remain in service and should immediately be dismissed. It also demanded that they should be put behind the bars for displaying such 'barbarism'.

The party added that the way the two policemen tied Mohammad Aurangzeb alias Salim, accused of chain-snatching, to their motorbike and dragged him, was horrific. The victim had earlier been beaten up by a mob for the same crime.

''One is struck with horror at the brutality of the police, in attempts to deliver instant justice,'' party leaders added.

They also appealed to the people to foil any ''conspiracy'' by the police and communal forces to engineer a riot in the communally sensitive town of Nathnagar in Bhagalpur, which was the worst-hit during the riots in the district in 1989.

They alleged that the fact that the police and the administration were trying to give a communal colour to the incident to side-track their barbaric assault was even more frightening.

The CPI(ML) held Chief Minister Nitish Kumar responsible for the incident and asked him to resign on moral grounds.

CPI(ML) Polit Bureau member Ramjatan Sharma demanded immediate suspension of the district magistrate and police superintendent of Bhagalpur, saying the horrifying incident had exposed the ''inhuman'' face of the police and administration in delivering quick and on the spot justice.

He said the party would launch phase-wise agitation to expose the government and disclosed that it had convened Bhagalpur bandh on August 31 and would observe a statewide protest tomorrow.

The leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Rabri Devi, taking strong note of the police excesses, demanded the government to hold senior police personnel of the SP and DIG rank accountable for police brutality across the state. She alleged that the Bhagalpur incident shows administrative failure of the state government and demanded the National Human Rights Commission to initiate stringent action against the state government. She also demanded suitable compensation to the victim.

Meanwhile, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Sadanand Singh also expressed concern over the police brutality in Bhagalpur and said the police should act as per the law and avoid taking law into their own hands.

Mr Singh appealed to the people of Bhagalpur to maintain peace in the district.

UNI