The Chhattisgarh government removed the Collector and Superintendent of Police of Kabirdham district on Friday (September 20, 2024) night following political outcry over the death of a man, arrested in connection with a mob-led arson, in police custody.
Additionally, 23 police officers and personnel of various ranks have been sent to police lines as disciplinary action. An IPS-rank officer was already suspended and a magisterial inquiry was ordered in connection with the death of Prashant Sahu, who died on Wednesday. The Opposition Congress – that had alleged custodial torture leading to the death of Prashant, arrested along with 69 others on September 15 – has called a bandh on Saturday.
Prashant’s death was preceded by a series of interconnected events. It began with the death of Kachru Sahu in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district, who was found hanging and was allegedly in deep debt. However, rumours spread that Raghunath Sahu, the deputy sarpanch of Loharidih village in Kabirdham, had murdered Kachru. This angered the community, leading a mob to attack and set fire to Raghunath’s house, resulting in his death.
In response, the police arrested 69 individuals, including Prashant, who was believed to have participated in the violence. In custody, Prashant sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital, where he died. His family accused the police of brutal assault.
Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel met Prashant’s family, who detailed the alleged police brutality, prompting the Congress to demand Home Minister Vijay Sharma’s resignation. Mr. Baghel shared the visuals of Prashant’s body.
‘Unfortunate incident’
The government statement issued around 11 p.m. on Friday documented the series of events and the various actions taken thus far, but skipped any direct mention of Prashant’s death.
“[The] Chief Minister has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the tragic death of Shri Raghunath Sahu, who died in an arson incident after the death of Shri Shivprasad Sahu on September 15 in Loharidih village. In response to this incident, the Chief Minister has removed 23 police personnel from their posts including the Inspector and Assistant Sub-Inspector at Rengakhar police station due to allegations of police brutality against villagers,” it said.
Following the Chief Minister’s directives, the statement added, Kabirdham district‘s Collector Janmejaya Mahobe was replaced by Gopal Verma, while SP Abhishek Pallav has been replaced by Rajesh Kumar Agarwal.
“Additionally, IPS officer Mr. Vikas Kumar, who was serving as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kabirdham, has already been suspended… Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai emphasized that any negligence in such incidents will not be tolerated in the future and strict action will be implemented against those accountable,” it added.
Published – September 21, 2024 01:10 am IST