Probe against Jehanabad SDO, BDO and SDPO

PATNA: Jehanabad DM Manoj Kumar Singh and SP Aditya Kumar have launched a high-level investigation into the alleged beating of Nauroo panchayat mukhiya Nagendra Kumar alias Chotan Yadav (48) by Jehanabad BDO Naushad Alam Siddiqui, Sadar SDPO Ansari and SDO Naval Kishore Chaudhary on September 20.
According to sources, the incident has taken a political colour after the ruling RJD has constituted a team to inquire into the mukhiya's allegations.
"The BDO on September 20 lodged an FIR with Town police station against the mukhiya for misbehaving with him. The mukhiya was arrested and sent to jail the same day. But mukhiya's wife Leela Devi moved court against the BDO, SDPO and SDO after which police were directed to lodge a complaint case against the three officers," the DM said.
DM said he, along with SP Aditya, initiated an investigation and recorded the statement of eight persons, including the BDO and the mukhiya, the DM said, adding they have also seen the half an hour CCTV footage in which the incident was recorded.
He said in the first 25 minutes, both the BDO and the mukhiya were engaged in a heated conversation and, later, the BDO was seen pushing out the mukhiya.
The DM said the statements of two persons seen in the footage were yet to be recorded as they were unknown both to the BDO and the mukhiya.
Asked what was the mukhiya doing at the BDO office, the DM said he was there to discuss some issues related to Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana.
"We will soon send the probe report to the state government after collecting evidences and recording statements," the DM added.
Sources said the mukhiya's wife alleged that after the BDO allegedly beat her husband, the Sadar SDPO also thrashed him in the presence of Sadar SDO, who is an IAS officer, before the Town police arrested her husband on September 20.
The SP said an FIR had been lodged under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and an inspector rank officer was investigating the case.