HT Correspondent
SILCHAR, March 10: A group of officials of the Cachar district administration on Thursday submitted a memorandum to six top bureaucrats of the Assam government seeking stern action against the officer in-charge of Satgaon police station Pranjit Lahkar for allegedly manhandling and brutally assaulting an ACS officer of South Salmara district Bibhash Medhi recently.
The memorandum, which was submitted to the Assam chief secretary, principal secretary (home and political department), Assam director general of police, principal secretary to the CM secretariat, chairman (state police accountability commission) and secretary (Assam human rights commission), said that the ACS and election officer Bibhash Medhi was roughed up and brutally assaulted by the Satgaon police station’s officer in-charge Pranjit Lahkar on March 7 after Medhi went to the police station to lodge a complaint. The act of Lahkar has brought disgrace to the state’s entire police department, the memo said.
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The Cachar district administration officials demanded that Lahkar be dismissed from his job and stern action be taken against him.
Sharing her reaction over the issue, Cachar district election officer Navanita Hazarika said Lahkar’s act of physically assaulting ACS officer Bibhash Medhi has caused much displeasure to the entire ACS and ALRS fraternity. “People will not have trust in the police if Lahkar is not dismissed,” she said.
“Bibhash Medhi is the most humble and down to earth person one can ever come across. The assault on him is an assault on every common man of the state. The erring police officer should be immediately brought to the books and an exemplary punishment should be meted out on him by the system.
It is also a slap to all the magistrates and not only just one person. Police personnel like Pranjit Lahkar are a blot to the entire system and we need to weed them out,” she said.
ACS officers Jessica R Lalsim, joint secretary; Rajib Roy, DDC; Sadhan Sarkar, ADC; Dipak Jidung, ADC;
Mansur Ahmed Mazumder, SDO (S); Gaurab Das, CO Sadar; Dr. Dipankar Nath, CO Sonai; Navanita Hazarika, Election officer; Kimneinem Changsan, assistant commissioner; Joy Christina Ngamlai, assistant commissioner; Himashree Deka, assistant commissioner; Avinash Paul, BDO Lakhipur; Bishwajit Dutta, assistant commissioner; Kishan Chorei Tripura, assistant commissioner were present during submission of memorandum to the deputy commissioner of Cachar, Keerthi Jalli.
Furthermore, the ALRS officers of Cachar namely Ruthi Awaizo Selate, Aditi Nunisa, Arif Ahmed Choudhury, Rajjyoti Borah also vehemently protested against such action by a cop.
Meanwhile, Guwahati police commissioner Harmeet Singh has ordered an inquiry into the incident of alleged behaviour by the police officer. Assistant police commissioner Nitotpal Deka will conduct the investigation along with senior civil service officers as reported.
Meanwhile in Diphu, the Magistrates working in the deputy commissioner’s office, under the banner of ACS Officers Association have condemned the behaviour of the police officer here on Thursday.
Condemning the incident SDO (Civil), Monica Bora said, “Any person going to the police with a complaint is to get protection. The duty of the law and order personnel is to give protection and justice and not harassment. The incident of physical assault of an Election Officer is known by the people of Assam but if it was a common man then the case might have been silenced. Such ill-treatment should not be there by law and order personnel, law is equal for all.”
Additional deputy commissioner S Khan said the incident was unfortunate and condemned the behaviour of the police officer. The association demanded that the culprit should be immediately arrested and booked as per law of the land.
