Dalit woman thrashed by cop in Bihar's Sitamarhi, video goes viral on social media
PATNA: A video of a Dalit woman being thrashed brutally by a police officer in full public view in Bihar's Sitamarhi district went viral on social media on Monday, triggering a fresh controversy over police action.
The police inspector in uniform was seen assaulting the woman on the road under Sursand police station in Sitamarhi district. The woman was involved in a fight with another woman on the street in the main market of the block headquarters, drawing a big crowd of onlookers.
The fight broke out between the two women in connection with a kidnapping case. When police officer Rajkishore Singh came to know about the incident, he rushed to the spot and thrashed the woman with a stick.
The woman sustained multiple injuries in the police action and was subsequently admitted to a private nursing home for treatment. The action of the police officer enraged some local residents, who made a video of the incident and uploaded it on social media.
Sitamarhi superintendent of police Manoj Kumar Tiwari said that a probe has been ordered into the viral video. Prime facie it seems that the police officer used force to separate the two women engaged in a fight on the street, he added.
"Disciplinary action will be initiated against the police officer posted at Sursand police station in the district after receiving the report. A sub-divisional police officer has been assigned to probe the incident," the SP said. Sub-divisional police officer Vinod Kumar later told the media that the incident is related to a kidnapping of a girl. "The girl was rescued by the police. But the two sides reached the police station and later indulged in a fight outside," he revealed.
The fight led to a traffic jam on the road in front of the police station. The police officer had to intervene to restore traffic on the busy road, Kumar asserted.
Meanwhile, the BJP demanded strong disciplinary action against the police officer. "The police officer in question should immediately be suspended for his action," BJP leader Rakesh Kumar said.