EC Orders Transfer of Patna Rural SP After Violence in Bihar
Move comes after a Jan Suraaj Party supporter was killed, triggering clashes ahead of Bihar Assembly polls
New Delhi: Taking serious note of the violence in Mokama in Bihar that led to the murder of a Jan Suraaj Party supporter, the Election Commission of India on Saturday ordered the transfer of Patna Superintendent of Police (Rural) along with four other officials and suspended a sub divisional police officer. The ECI has also directed disciplinary proceedings against all officials except the SP.
"The Commission has further directed that Vikram Sihag, Superintendent of Police (Rural), Patna may also be transferred. Hence, a panel of officers for posting a substitute in his place may be sent urgently," the poll authority told the state chief electoral officer. The Election Commission on Friday sought a detailed report from the state at the earliest.
Tension has gripped Mokama ahead of assembly polls in the state, after Jan Suraaj Party supporter Dularchand Yadav was killed during an election campaign. As per post mortem Yadav died of cardiorespiratory failure due to shock caused by injury to the heart and lungs. Yadav died while he was campaigning for Jan Suraaj Party's candidate Piyush Priyadarshi in Patna's Mokama area on Thursday. The incident had taken place close to the Bhadaur and Ghoswari police stations.
"The reason behind Yadav's death is cardiorespiratory failure due to shock caused by injury of the heart and lungs by a hard and blunt substance," said the report, submitted to the Patna Police. The report also mentioned that Yadav was shot near the ankle joint, but the bullet wound was not the cause of his death. The police, who registered three FIRs and nabbed two persons in connection with the incident, will now investigate how he was injured and who was involved in the incident, an officer said.
On Friday, Yadav's supporters pelted stones at the car of Rashtriya Janata Dal's Mokama candidate Veena Devi.
Meanwhile, the Station House Officers (SHOs) of Bhadaur and Ghoswari police stations were suspended for "dereliction of duty". Local strongman Anant Singh, the JD( U) candidate from Mokama, has been named as an accused along with four others in one of the FIRs, registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the grandson of the deceased. Another FIR was lodged against six people based on a complaint filed by the Prashat Kishor-led Jan Suraaj, while the third case was registered by the police based on its own investigation.
