Four police personnel have been suspended following allegations of assaulting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Scheduled Caste Morcha leader Manoj Pasi at Jhunsi police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.
Pasi who is the state co-treasurer of the party’s SC Morcha alleged that he was brutally beaten by the officers when he went to the station to resolve an issue over construction work that his brother was carrying out.
According to Pasi, the confrontation occurred over the construction of a boundary wall on a plot of land his brother had purchased four years ago. However, the construction work was stopped by police officers after a neighbour complained.
Pasi stated that station house officer (SHO) Upendra Pratap Singh and six other policemen, including sub-inspectors and constables insulted and verbally abused him when he went to the station on Wednesday, January 15, to inquire about the matter.
Pasi further alleged that his request for clarification about any written order to stop the construction was met with hostility. The senior officers dragged him into a room and assaulted him so severely that he lost consciousness.
“I went to the police station around noon on Wednesday and was asking the SHO and local outpost Chamanganj in-charge Santosh Singh if there was any written order to stop the work and that let the sub-divisional magistrate decide the matter since it is related to revenue,” The Indian Express quoted Pasi.
Following this, “SHO Upendra Pratap Singh, sub-inspector Santosh Singh and four other policemen dragged me inside a room of the police station and assaulted me so brutally that I fell unconscious,” he added.
Police action and inquiry
In response to these allegations, Vinal Kishor Mishra the assistant police commissioner of Jhansi stated that four police officers have been suspended which included three sub-inspectors and a constable on the spot.
However, no action has been taken against SHO Upendra Pratap Singh, who is accused of leading the assault, reported The Indian Express.
Deputy commissioner of police (city) Abhishek Bharti confirmed that a departmental probe has already been launched.
Pasi claimed that the deputy commissioner of police told him that the SHO was not removed “due to Mahakumbh Mela duty”, a major Hindu pilgrimage event which takes in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26.
Political reactions
The incident has evoked strong condemnation from the BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha. The state unit president Ramchandra Kanaujia strongly criticised police action and affirmed to fight for justice.
“We will not remain silent until the accused police personnel are acted against or till a case is registered for torturing a Dalit leader,” added Kanaujia.
He further elaborated on the seriousness of the incident, he said, “Manoj Pasi had not committed any offence, but he was badly assaulted to an extent even a hardcore criminal is not beaten up.”
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Sayima Ahmad | 
