A Patna Municipal Corporation councillor, who is son of a former MLC, has been arrested for assaulting a police officer on duty, police said on Saturday.
The arrested councillor, Mohammad Asfar Ahmad, is son Anwar Ahmad, former MLC from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
According to police, Asfar and his supporters misbehaved with deputy superintendent of police (DSP) (town), Ashok Kumar, and station house officer (SHO) of the Pirbahore police station, Sabih-ul-Haq, when they refused to release a local shopkeeper Mohammad Sarfaraj from the police custody. The councillor allegedly manhandled another policeman and abused his senior when they objected to it.
Sarfaraj was detained for interrogation in a case related to attack on a police team Thursday night, in which a constable was grievously injured. The Pirbahore police had received inputs that some miscreants carrying illegal weapons had assembled near Patna Market. A police team rushed to the spot near a mosque and nabbed four suspects and brought them to the police station for further interrogation.
In the meantime, a group of locals surrounded the police team, attacked and freed four suspects from their custody.
{{/usCountry}}In the meantime, a group of locals surrounded the police team, attacked and freed four suspects from their custody.
{{/usCountry}}On Friday evening, police detained Sarfaraj for further probe into the absconding four suspects. Irate over his detention, locals blocked the Ashok Rajpath, burnt tyres, shouted slogans against the administration and forced down the shutters of shops.
Asfar, along with his supporters, joined them. He allegedly entered the police station, forced policemen to immediately release the detained shopkeeper and manhandled a policeman.
“When I intervened, the councillor assaulted me as well and started threatening. His father Anwar Ahmad also reached there,” said the SHO, adding that the former MLC was also detained but released on a personal bond from the police station.
However, the former MLC told reporters that he was sitting inside the police station for a personal reason. He rejected all charges levelled against him and his son.
Asfar and Sarfaraj have been booked under Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
DSP Kumar said they are analysing CCTV footage to identify the miscreants who attacked the policemen, disrupted vehicular traffic and surrounded the police station.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the state government over the incident, calling it a reflection of how antisocial elements have become emboldened in the new Grand Alliance government.
BJP Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi asked why the police released the former MLC despite the latter allegedly creating noisy scenes inside the police station. “RJD supporters entered the police station and misbehaved and disrupted official work. Is this ‘people’s government’”, Modi asked, taking a dig at chief minister Nitish Kumar who recently said there is ‘janata raj’ and not jungle raj’ in Bihar.
However, Bihar RJD spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav told reporters, “Anwar Ahmad is no longer associated with the RJD. He was sacked from the party almost seven years ago for anti-party activities. Maintaining law and order has been the top priority of the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar. Officials have been directed to take strict action against those who take law into their own hands.”