Woman’s stripping row: Top Patna cops shifted

Two days after a woman was stripped on a bustling Patna street, prompting nationwide condemnation of the incident, the Nitish Kumar government transferred 15 top police officers from inspector general to deputy superintendent of police level.

Two days after a woman was stripped on a bustling Patna street, prompting nationwide condemnation of the incident, the Nitish Kumar government transferred 15 top police officers from inspector general to deputy superintendent of police (DSP) level.

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Ten of them are IPS officers, while five are DSPs. The superintendents of police of Nalanda, Jehanbad and Sitamarhi were also shifted.

The transfers coincided with the arrest of two more persons. Ashok Kumar, the owner of the hotel where the woman was allegedly raped, and the hotel manager were arrested.

One Rakesh Singh, who allegedly brought the woman to Patna from Jharkand and forced her to have sex with two of his associates, has already been arrested. The associates are on the run.

The state administration was under pressure to act from civic and women rights bodies as well as from the Opposition, which had in protest stalled proceedings in the assembly on Friday.

The CM had on Friday ordered a probe and assured “severe action” against erring police officers. Later, he held a meeting with senior police officers and instructed them to shift the entire Patna Police team.

Meanwhile, the hotel has been sealed and its licence cancelled for facilitating immoral trafficking, DIG (Central Range) J S Gangwar said. Two more accused are absconding.

(With inputs from PTI)