Buxar Police suspend two cops for negligence leading to death of man in custody

Patna (The Uttam Hindu): Buxar Police on Sunday suspended two police officials including the Station House Officer (SHO) for negligence in their duties as a man in custody ended up dying by suicide. The District Superintendent of Police (SP) ordered the suspensions, following an inquiry into the incident that raised concerns about the performance of their duty. The suspended personnel include ASI Praful Kumar, who also served as the SHO of the Simri Police Station, ASI Sitaram Choudhary who was the duty officer at the police station. A local watchman Harikishun Yadav was also involved.

The issue surfaced after a man named Rajesh Kumar Kharwar was arrested by DIAL 112 in response to a complaint filed by his father, Nand Bihari Kharwar, who reported an incident of physical assault by Rajesh in the drunken stage. According to a spokesperson of Buxar Police, Rajesh Kharwar was arrested by a DIAL 112 team and brought to Simri Police Station on Saturday, where he was placed in a lockup. “After a few hours, he used his belt in a bid to commit suicide. He tied one end of the belt to his neck and another end with a lockup grill. When he suffocated, the duty officer spotted him and immediately rescued him. Till that time, his condition had deteriorated,” the officer said.

“The officers on duty rushed him to the Common Health Center (CHC), where doctors provided oxygen support and subsequently transferred him to Sadar Hospital in Buxar due to his critical condition. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead during treatment,” he said. “A preliminary investigation indicated negligence by the police personnel present at the station, leading to the immediate suspension of ASI Praful Kumar, ASI Sitaram Choudhary, and watchman Harikishun Yadav. The alleged officers failed to spot the movement of the detained person and also allowed him to wear articles like belt,” he said. “We have constituted a team for the detailed investigation into the matter. Further probe is on,” the officer said.