DG Bihar police, Chief Secy asked to appear before NHRC

DG Bihar police, Chief Secy asked to appear before NHRC
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, JAN 21: Unhappy over Bihar government's "inability" to arrest former state Minister involved in human rights violation, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the State Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to appear before it on February 27.

``The inability of the state police force to locate a person who till recently had been a Minister in Bihar, was to say the least, surprising and indicative of deliberate inaction on part of the police force,'' NHRC said, doubting the intentions of the state machinery to take action against Minister of State for Cooperative Lalit Kumar Yadav for torturing truck driver Deenanath Baitha and cleaner Karoo Ram.

The Commission, taking a suo motu cognizance of a news captioned `Bihar Minister turns sadist; drivers nail plucked out, forced to drink urine', had earlier issued notice to the state government to give a report on the incident and also asked why monetary compensation should not be given to the victims.

Though the state government said "the allegations made in the media reports were true. A case had been registered under the IPC and the SC/ST Crime Prevention Act and both the victims had been paid Rs. 1000 each for their treatment and in addition Rs. 50,000 would be paid to the truck driver for having to drink dirty substance and the injuries inflicted on him."

However, the state government reported that they had not been able to arrest the accused persons, as they were not traceable.

In its recent order, NHRC said, ``The Comission has found it strange as to how Lalit Yadav, the ex-Minister and Vijay Raj, the other accused in the criminal case, had been shown to be absconding.''

``The Commission is also surprised to note that the former Minister still continues to be a member of the Legislative Assembly of the state. In such a situation, the Commission found it difficult to comprehend as to how the police dapartment in the state is not able to apprehend and produce him before the court,'' the order said.

It further said, ``In view of this the Commission requires the presence of both the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Bihar for interaction on Febraury 27, unless the accused was apprehended and produced before the court in the meanwhile.''