DIBRUGARH: Assam Police on Sunday suspended five personnel, including two sub-inspectors (SIs), following reports of an alleged torture of a 28-year-old man at the Bordumsa police station in Tinsukia.
Besides SIs Jayanta Kalita and Rajib Deka, three constables from the Assam Police commando battalion — Bishal Jyoti Basudev Boro, Bhaiti Das and Rajib Deka — have been suspended, following direct orders from the director general of police (DGP) Harmeet Singh.
The incident occurred on Friday, when the alleged victim, Sanjit Moran, was standing in a queue to cast his vote during the panchayat polls. Moran, a resident of No. 1 Mohong Village, got involved in a verbal altercation with the police personnel at the voting booth and was summoned to the Bordumsa police station on Saturday afternoon.
According to Moran, the cops subjected him to a brutal assault, beating him mercilessly, before rubbing his body with ‘Bhoot Jolokia’ (ghost pepper). “I was called to the police station and beaten without any justification. They even applied ‘Bhoot Jolokia’ on my body, causing unbearable pain,” a visibly traumatised Moran said at the Margherita Civil Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.
As news of the alleged torture spread on Sunday morning, hundreds of angry locals staged a massive protest outside the police station, demanding justice. They raised slogans against police high-handedness, forcing higher authorities to take immediate action.
Tinsukia superintendent of police (SP) Abhijit Gurav issued the suspension order for the two SIs on Sunday afternoon, while Ananda Tokbi, commandant of the 6th commando battalion at Sadiya, suspended the three constables.
Interestingly, Bordumsa police station officer-in-charge (OC), Biswajit Saharia, has been asked to report immediately to Tinsukia police headquarters. The DGP has also directed Gurav to complete the inquiry within 48 hours.
A high-level inquiry has been initiated to investigate the matter thoroughly. “The department has zero tolerance for such misconduct. If the allegations are proven true in the inquiry, further legal action will be taken against all the involved personnel,” Gurav said.
