Patna/Kishanganj: A 23-year-old youth, who was allegedly thrashed by police during a BSF recruitment camp in Kishanganj district last week, on Wednesday died at a nursing home in Patna, prompting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to order a high-level probe in the case even as police denied the assault charge.
According to the complaint by victim's father, his son Shyam Narayan Bharadwaj, a native of Mundera village in Gaya district, was beaten up by police in Kishanganj hours after the BSF authorities had handed him over to the police to be taken to hospital as he had fainted during the fitness test at the BSF recruitment camp.
The policemen allegedly instead of taking him to hospital thrashed him before dumping him at Kishanganj railway station where a woman had given him Rs 30 to take a train on way to Patna on the fateful day.
The reports said the injured youth contacted his father Amrendra Narayan who reached Patna and took his son to the PMCH for treatment where his condition deteriorated.
Sustaining internal injuries, the youth was subsequently admitted to a private nursing home where he breathed his last in the wee hours today.
Earlier today, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered a high level probe by senior officials into the death of the youth and said that he had spoken to Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and the Director General of Police (DGP) P K Thakur to find out the facts in this regard.
The father of the deceased had yesterday lodged a case at the Gandhi Maidan police station against unidentified policemen in Kishanganj district.
Meanwhile, a high-level police officer, who went to Kishanganj district to probe the matter, denied the role of the police in the assault of the youth.
Purnia range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ram Narayan Singh, who went to Kishanganj to probe the incident, outrightly denied that the victim had been thrashed by policemen, arguing that the local police had no role in the recruitment camp held by the BSF on July 1.
"Since the BSF personnel and those of the Bihar police wear identical uniforms, an impression has gained ground that Bharadwaj, an aspirant for job as BSF jawan, was thrashed by the police which is absolutely false," he told reporters.
Singh on the other hand alleged that the victim was a drug addict and that he had clashed with a BSF personnel during the recruitment camp, which could be corroborated by video footage and by the statements of the BSF officials present during the recruitment camp on the fateful day.
Singh said that since the youth's father has lodged an FIR in connection with the death of his son, the probe would be carried to its logical end and strict action would be taken against anyone found guilty in the matter.
Even as the Bihar police sought to distance itself from Bharadwaj's death, senior BJP leader and former chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that he had spoken to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the matter.
According to Modi, the Home Minister has directed the BSF DG to investigate the matter.
