Chhattisgarh Police Inspector Held for Unauthorised CCTV Footage Seizure

A police inspector was detained on Tuesday in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district for allegedly confiscating CCTV footage from a lodge without proper authority, according to a senior official. The action was taken against Ajay Sonkar, Station House Officer (SHO) at Konta police station, following a complaint by local journalists.

Allegations and Arrests

The journalists claimed that the conduct of the officer was suspicious concerning the arrest of four Bastar-based journalists under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act along the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border. On Sunday, Bappi Rai, Dharmendra Singh, Manish Singh, and Nishu Trivedi were arrested by Andhra Pradesh police in Chintoor, who allegedly found cannabis in their vehicle.

Journalists from Bastar alleged that Sukma Police, in collusion with the sand mafia, framed the four journalists by planting cannabis in their vehicle. On August 11, some journalists submitted a memorandum alleging that Konta SHO Sonkar's role was suspicious, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan.

Investigation Initiated

A team led by Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Sukma Parmeshwar Tilakwar was formed to investigate these allegations. Preliminary findings indicated that Bappi Rai and three others had gone to Konta on August 9 at the invitation of Irshad Khan and Madvi Pavan. They attended a birthday party for Khan's brother there.

Later that night, Rai and his colleagues stopped sand-laden trucks belonging to sand contractor Chandu while they were heading to a neighbouring state. The Konta SHO arrived at the scene but left after assessing the situation. Rai and the other journalists then stayed at RSN lodge in Konta, where Chandu was also staying.

Suspicious Activities

Khan and Pavan allegedly drove Rai's car somewhere during the night of August 9 while Sonkar was patrolling the same area. The next day, Chintoor police registered a case against six people under the NDPS Act and arrested the four journalists. Khan and Madvi were reported to be absconding.

Khan and Pavan had previous offences lodged against them under the NDPS Act. Sonkar later went to the lodge and illegally took away the digital video recorder (DVR) of the CCTV camera there, according to SP Chavan. Due to the sensitivity of the matter, Sonkar was suspended.

Legal Actions

A case was registered against Sonkar under section 324 (mischief) and section 331(2) (house trespass) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, leading to his arrest. Further investigation is ongoing, said Chavan.

Meanwhile, journalists from Bastar have decided to submit a memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds the Home portfolio, demanding a CBI probe into the entire case. They alleged that police colluded with sand mafia to plant cannabis in Rai's vehicle.