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Bihar cop lynched in West Bengal, three arrested
KISHANGANJ A police officer of Bihar’s Kishanganj district was lynched by a mob at a village in Islampur of West Bengal early Saturday morning when he was leading a police team in pursuit of an accused in a motorcycle theft case
KISHANGANJ
A police officer of Bihar’s Kishanganj district was lynched by a mob at a village in Islampur of West Bengal early Saturday morning when he was leading a police team in pursuit of an accused in a motorcycle theft case.
Later in the day, the police arrested three suspects and Kishanganj’s superintendent of police Kumar Ashish suspended eight policemen who were part of the raiding team but escaped, leaving the officer at the mercy of the murderous mob.
The slain police officer, inspector Ashwani Kumar (50), a native of Purnea, was posted at Kishanganj police station as its station house officer (SHO) and had gone to Pantapara, a border village in West Bengal around five kilometres away, with a police team to conduct a raid in connection with motorcycle loot when a mob allegedly attacked and beat him to death. Other members of the police team managed to escape.
“The SHO died on the spot. A joint team of Bihar and West Bengal police is carrying out raids to nab the culprits,” Inspector general (Purnia range) Suresh Choudhary said.
Kishanganj police have alleged there was no cooperation from the West Bengal police. “We continued to call local police but they didn’t respond to our calls. The SHO had talked to the local Goalpokhar police station of West Bengal before conducting the raid, but they didn’t assist us,” said a policeman, not wishing to be quoted.
Another policeman said the West Bengal police were registering a case of unnatural death but finally lodged a case of murder only after pressure from Bihar Police.
After the autopsy at a West Bengal hospital, Kumar’s body was brought to the Kishanganj police lines, where his colleagues paid their last respects.
Meanwhile, three suspects were arrested in a joint by the police of the two states later in the day. “Two brothers and their mother have been arrested and raids are on to nab the other,” said a police officer.
Those arrested were idenfied as Firoz Alam and Abuzar Alam, and their mother Shahinoor Khatun.
SP Kumar Ashish said service revolver of the slain SHO was not still missing. “Two mobile phones of the SHO have been recovered.”
“A murder case has been registered at Goalpokhar police station of West Bengal,” he said.
West Bengal is in the middle of Assembly polls and Islampur constituency goes to vote on April 22.
