Inspector suspended a week after viral video

The station house officer(SHO) of Adarsh Nagar police station was on Tuesday suspended for ‘dereliction of duty’, a week after a video showed him trying to stop a man from harassing another person over an alleged disputed religious structure

The station house officer(SHO) of Adarsh Nagar police station was on Tuesday suspended for ‘dereliction of duty’, a week after a video showed him trying to stop a man from harassing another person over an alleged disputed religious structure.

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Last week, many citizens took to social media demanding the suspension of inspector CP Bhardwaj. A hashtag demanding his removal was trending on the afternoon of August 4.

The video showed a man asking another person about the ownership of a mazaar on the road in Adarsh Nagar. The man was asking the second person where he lived and sought an explanation as to why the mazaar was on the road, as it was blocking traffic. Inspector Bhardwaj is seen intervening between the two men and reminding the first person that he should not bully the other person.

In the video, Bhardwaj, who identifies himself as the SHO of Adarsh Nagar police station, can be seen reminding the first person that for any disputed structure, the government has a committee to examine its legality. To this, the first man is seen asking Bhardwaj why a temple was demolished in Chandni Chowk. The viral video ends with the inspector taking the first man into custody.

As reports of Bhardwaj’s suspension went public on Wednesday, many people on Twitter said he was suspended for taking action against a right-wing protester. Others opined police did the right thing because the inspector was hand in glove with the land mafia, who encroach on public roads.

No senior police officer, authorised to speak to the media, commented on the reasons behind Bhardwaj’s suspension.

However, a senior police officer, who asked not to be named, said, “The controversy over the mazaar and the viral video has nothing to do with his suspension. No one was arrested in that incident. No complaint was filed in that incident. He has been suspended because there were many complaints against him for dereliction of duty. In some cases, he did not use the correct Indian Penal Code sections and diluted the case. He also did not act on some complaints.”

Bhardwaj’s personal cellphone was unavailable when HT tried to call on Wednesday.