Minor arrest: ex-cop pleads

Patna: Former additional superintendent of police of Patna City, Hari Mohan Shukla, was among the police officials who deposed before the inspector-general of police (Patna zone) to get their statement recorded in connection with the arrest of a minor vegetable seller in a motorbike theft case.

Shukla, who is currently posted in Katihar, reached the office of the IG (Patna zone) N.H. Khan in the afternoon to plead his case. Shukla was posted as additional SP of Patna City when the minor was allegedly implicated in a motorbike theft case lodged with the Bypass police station.

Station house officers of Bypass police station and that of Agamkuan police station were also summoned by the IG. Earlier, the investigating officer of the case related to the motorbike theft in which the minor boy was arrested was also questioned by the IG.

Police officials reportedly told the IG that the boy was arrested from near an automobile showroom on the bypass road early in the morning on March 21. His two accomplices, identified as Nitesh and Vishal, were also nabbed by the police.

Later, the police produced the three to the Patna City court, which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days. Four motorbikes were also recovered on the basis of a statement of the three arrested persons. In addition, a country-made pistol, eight live cartridges and Rs 1,100 were seized from their possession.

The boy’s father Sukesh Paswan told the IG that his son was falsely implicated in a motorbike theft case because he had refused to give jackfruit to the police for free. Paswan had also claimed that his son was picked up by a police team attached to the Agamkuan police station on March 19 evening.

Paswan told The Telegraph on Saturday that his son revealed to him that he was badly thrashed by policemen at Bypass police station before being paraded before journalists on March 21 at the office of the senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj. “My son was not only illegally detained and assaulted but also denied food for two days,” he alleged.

On Thursday, chief minister Nitish Kumar ordered an investigation into the matter and sought a report within 48 hours. IG Khan is learnt to have submitted his report to the police headquarters, which will be forwarded to the chief minister’s office.

Courtesy: The Telegraph