A viral video which surfaced on Sunday evening, left the Bengal government officials in tizzy after a Bengal cadre IAS officer, Nikhil Nirmal who is the current district magistrate of Alipurduar could be seen beating up a youth mercilessly.
A viral video which surfaced on Sunday evening, left the Bengal government officials in tizzy after a Bengal cadre IAS officer, Nikhil Nirmal who is the current district magistrate of Alipurduar could be seen beating up a youth mercilessly.
He was later sent on leave.
The video shows Nirmal and his wife both fuming and beating up a local youth inside the Falakata police station and in presence of the inspector-in-charge Soumyajit Ray.
See how Bengal IAS officer, Nikhil Nirmal, district magistrate of Alipurduar district take law in his own hands. He & his wife beat up a youth for making lewd comments on his wife’s Facebook profile. Incident unfolds inside the police station & infront IC of Police @dna @ZeeNews pic.twitter.com/iRCO7SnRa6
— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_zeenews) January 6, 2019
There has been a lot of outrage on social media over the vigilante justice meted out by the officer.
Sources suggest he has been sent on leave, his wife put an emotional Facebook post defending her husband.
Unable to view gallery? Click here
With inputs from Pooja Mehta and Arshad Ali
1. Wife’s reaction
)
She wrote: “Enough has been said. If you want to remove him, remove him but don’t bother a family with a wife and child. What can you see on the video? What is being shown? And What isn’t? Bloody hell. Yes he did slap and kick. If it was someone else they would’ve killed (the eve-teaser). My husband said to me, when we were taking seven rounds around the fire, “I will take care of you, protect you, will stand for you, no matter what.”
2. He is the real hero
)
He is the real hero. If someone asks your wife/sister/daughter to ‘open their legs’ let me go in, is it okay? You are all saying at least he didn’t commit rape, just commented, you shouldn’t have slapped. Doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have a job. But to have love is a big deal. I love you Nikhil, proud of you. I am lucky to be your wife/best friend/ girlfriend and the mother of your kids.
I won’t let anyone raise fingers on you even if I die, I will stand like a wall for you. Always.”
3. What happened
)
According to sources in the police, the youth had made some lewd comments on Nirmal’s wife’s Facebook profile. Soon, he was summoned to the police station and the duo was seen beating him up in black and blue.
4. 'Will kill you'
)
Surprisingly, the Nirmal is heard saying in the video, “I will not let you do anything against me in my district. I will enter your house and kill you.”
The husband and wife duo took turns to beat him. Nirmal’s wife is heard asking the youth, “At who’s behest did you make such comments?”
5. Vigilantism caught on camera
)
While the youth pleaded for mercy, the duo continued beating him up. Interestingly, the entire episode unfolded at the police station without the district magistrate or his wife filing any official complaint till the time he was being beaten up.
When this correspondent tried reaching Nirmal, he neither answered nor returned calls. The inspector-in-charge too did not answer calls despite several attempts.
Nirmal, is a 2011 Bengal cadre IAS officer and hails from Kerala.
6. Human rights activists cry foul
)
It was found out that a report regarding the incident has been submitted to the West Bengal Chief Secretary but no one was ready to comment on the issue. Sources said that North Bengal Divisional Commissioner Barun Roy said Nirmal had asked for a leave and it was granted.
He also said that police were looking into the matter. Human Rights activists are afoot with their protest. Ranjit Sur, vice president of Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) said that they have initiated the process of putting in a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) as the offender was an IAS officer. “The DM was looking like a mafia don. There should be proper punishment for him. A complaint against the officials of the PS will also be filed because they just stood there and watched like a spectator while the man had to undergo such atrocities,” Sur said.
