Controversy over Bihar cop thrashing woman after video goes viral
Sitamarhi (Bihar) (PTI): An incident of a Bihar police officer allegedly thrashing a woman in public has drawn widespread condemnation after its purported video went viral on social media.
The incident took place in Sursand area in Sitamarhi district on Saturday but the video went viral on social media on Monday.
In the video, Inspector Raj Kishore Singh of Sursand police station is seen striking a middle-aged woman with a stick in public while some others looked on.
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Locals claimed the woman sustained injuries in the police action and was subsequently admitted to a private nursing home for treatment, while police claimed she was not injured.
Police claimed Singh was trying to separate two women brawling on the road, amid demands by locals for action against the inspector.
Police claimed the brawl broke out between the two women regarding a kidnapping case and it caused a traffic jam outside the police station.
A statement issued by the district police stated on Monday: "A probe has been ordered into the incident. Action will be initiated against the police officer posted at Sursand police station only after receiving the report. A sub-divisional police officer has been designated to probe the incident and also examine the authenticity of the video."
The visuals of a #Dalit woman being beaten by a cop in public in #Bihar's #Sitamarhi has raised concerns over police brutality and prompted a public demand for action. But the police claim the cop was only trying to maintain order after a fight erupted between two sides in a… pic.twitter.com/j8w1xGFEhi
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Dalit outfits call state-wide hartal over dental student’s death
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Various Dalit organisations on Monday announced a state-wide hartal seeking justice in the death of Kannur Dental College student Nithin Raj.
The hartal will be observed on Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm.
As many as 52 Dalit organisations, including Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have announced the strike.
Organisations requesting cooperation for the strike said that no vehicles will be forcibly stopped and that all essential services are exempted.
Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakkandy in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
Police have registered a case against two faculty members on charges of abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations by the student’s family that he was subjected to caste- and complexion-based harassment.
Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM), one of the organisations supporting the hartal, alleged in a statement that police had shown apathy in the investigation and were attempting to protect the accused in the case.
KPSM state president K V Padmanabhan and general secretary S Anwar alleged that the probe into Raj’s death was being deliberately misdirected and delayed.
While the family has firmly alleged that caste discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members led to the student’s death, police were attempting to divert the investigation towards loan app borrowings, they claimed.
The organisation alleged that this was a planned move to shield the real accused.
KPSM further alleged that by deliberately delaying the arrest of the accused teachers, police enabled them to secure anticipatory bail.
They said there was no confidence in the present police investigation and demanded that the case be handed over to an independent agency at the earliest.
