NHRC team begins inquiry into Bhagalpur incident

BHAGALPUR: A two-member team of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday began inquiry into the assault and dragging of a chain-snatcher tied to a motorcycle by two policemen at Nathnagar near here recently.

The NHRC team, comprising Rajbir Singh and Lal Bahadur, which arrived here on Sunday, held an in-camera discussion with government officials and recorded the written statements of deputy superintendent of police (town) Anjani Kumar and officer-in-charge of Nathnagar police station Mohammad Javed.

The team held discussions with additional district magistrate Divesh Sehra and went through the video clippings and newspaper reports of the incident, official sources said.

The team would also visit the central jail and meet the chain snatcher and record his statement.

L B Singh, an assistant sub-inspector, and constable Ramchander Rai had allegedly joined a crowd in thrashing Mohammad Aurangzeb, a youth who had snatched the chain of a woman devotee at Manaskamndhish temple at Nathnagar,about five km from here on August 27. They had later tied Aurangzeb's leg to a motorcycle and dragged him for several metres as he writhed in pain pleading for mercy.
   
Singh and Rai were dismissed on August 30 by DIG (Bhagalpur range) G N Sharma and Bhagalpur superintendent of police J S Gangwar respectively following airing of the incident by TV channels triggering public outcry.