PATNA: Another police officer was killed by an irate mob in Bihar in the past 48 hours, leaving senior officers at the state police headquarters red-faced.
Santosh Kumar, an assistant sub-inspector of police (ASI), was attacked when he attempted to mediate a dispute between two groups near ITC Nandlalpur village under Mufassil police station limits in Munger district at around 8 pm on Friday.
Kumar, attached to emergency dial number 112, was at the spot trying to pacify the two rival groups when he was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon. He sustained grievous head injuries and fell unconscious. His colleagues rushed him to Sadar Hospital in Munger, from where he was referred to Patna for better treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries on the way. His body was later taken back to Munger.
Abhishek Anand, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Sadar, Munger, confirmed the incident, stating, "ASI Kumar was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon on his head, causing severe injuries. He was rushed to a Munger-based hospital, from where he was referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for better treatment, but he died on the way to Patna."
The slain ASI was a resident of Bhabua in Kaimur district and had been transferred to Munger about a year ago. His family has been informed, and his body will be handed over to them after the post-mortem examination.
When contacted, Mufassil police station house officer Chandan Kumar confirmed the death of ASI Santosh Kumar.
This marks the second murder of a police officer in Bihar within two days. Earlier, ASI Rajiv Ranjan was killed after being pushed and assaulted by a mob under Phulkahana police station limits in Araria district. Ranjan had gone to arrest Anmol Yadav, an accused evading arrest in a Prohibition-related case.
The audacity of Yadav’s associates was evident as they not only attacked the officer but also managed to free the accused from police custody. A First Information Report (FIR) was later lodged against 18 named individuals and 20-25 unidentified persons in connection with Ranjan’s killing.
Ranjan, who had joined the police force in 2007, was assaulted so severely that he succumbed to his injuries.
The back-to-back killings of two police officers have sparked criticism of the Nitish Kumar government. Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, slammed the chief minister, saying he had "failed to check crime in the state."