Bihar, 30 March 2021: There has been a stir over the death of the irrigation department personnel in Banka police station. He has been arrested in an incident of violence on the day of Holi in Bhagalpur, Bihar. Angry villagers surrounded the police station at night and raised fierce slogans against the police administration. After the incident, the entire police personnel of the police station left the station and went underground.
The deceased Sanjay Kumar Yadav was working as a clerk in the Small Irrigation Department’s office in Banka. The police denied any assault on the incident, claiming that Sanjay died due to illness. Family members of the deceased employee alleged that it was a case of custodial murder and demanded action against the officers involved in the incident.
Monica Bharti, daughter of the deceased Sanjay Yadav, told reporters that the father had returned home after playing Holi with his friends. About 25 policemen, including both uniformed and civil dress, were led by SHO Bari police station Pramod Shah forcibly entered her house at about 9 o’clock in the night and dragged her father with the help of a towel placed around her father’s neck. After that, they did not return. She said that some of his relatives saw him inside the lockup on Monday night and claimed that he was in the police station till late at night, but the police officers were not ready to talk to him or release Yadav. When the family went to the police station at around 11.30 pm, the police informed them that Yadav had died in the lockup. Refusing to believe the police, the family claimed that he died after beating the police in custody.
The family staged a protest outside the police station. His colleagues staged a protest in front of the Mayaganj Hospital, where his body was kept for autopsy. Bhagalpur SSP Nitasha Gudiya visited the spot after the alleged custodial death and ordered a judicial inquiry into the death. CCTV footage was examined at the scene, while the medical board team also conducted videography during the post-mortem. The SSP said a post-mortem report is awaited.