Purnia case: HC orders probe, 3 suspended

Four days after a group of men — allegedly belonging to the railway police — bound and dragged a mentally-challenged, injured man through the streets of Purnea, the Patna high court ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Four days after a group of men — allegedly belonging to the railway police — bound and dragged a mentally-challenged, injured man through the streets of Purnea, the Patna high court ordered an inquiry into the incident. Three men of the railway police were suspended as well.

HT Image

On Thursday, the court took suo motu cognizance of the report of the incident published by the HT the same morning. While district and sessions judge Sanjay Kumar had been asked to conduct the inquiry, summons have been issued to the superintendent of police, civil surgeon, medical officer of the district hospital and the Katihar railway SP.

Gyanendra Choudhary, 40, had been injured while trying to cross the railway tracks at the Purnea junction on Sunday. A resident of Nepal’s Saptari, he had fled from home. The GRP personnel had taken him to the district hospital, but he managed to get away. The GRP men found him again and after beating him up mercilessly, dragged him through the roads tied up, said eyewitnesses.

“It defies civil existence. Such people do not deserve to be in police service,” said the division bench of Justice Navin Sinha and Justice Shailesh Kumar Sinha.

“The men suspended were Purnea railway junction station house officer Rajendra Prasad Singh, assistant sub-inspector Yoganand Choudhary and constable Babban Kumar,” said Katihar rail SP Jitendra Mishra.