VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Feb. 26: The alleged custodial death of Debu Turi, a suspect of vehicle showroom loot case in Sahibganj district has raised the question of whether or not Sahibganj, the home constituency of Chief Minister Hemant Soren needs better policing.
The alleged custodial death of Debu Turi at Taljhari police station of Sahibganj district witnessed a violent protest of the local residents on Friday. Protesters blocked Maharajpur-Taljhari-Sharmapur road near Jharna Tola locality of Taljhari.
Two policemen Charan Soren and Santosh Jha were seriously injured whereas six vehicles were damaged. The police team led by SDPO of Rajmahal Arvind Kumar Singh and SDPO of Badhadwa Pradeep Oraon resorted to tear gas shells and aerial firing to control the mob.
Police denied his custodial death and said that he was called for questioning on Thursday evening. But his condition suddenly deteriorated at the police station after which he was admitted to the local Community Health Centre (CHC) which further referred him to Sadar Hospital in Sahibganj. But he died on way to the hospital.
But Anupama Hembrom, wife of deceased Debu Turi, rejected the claim of police. She said that Debu Turi was tortured for four days from Monday to Thursday by the police.
Meanwhile, Sahibganj SP Anuranjan Kispotta has suspended the officer-in-charge of Taljhari police station Niranjan Kacchap and ASI Rakesh Kumar. An inquiry has been ordered.
But it seems that the bosses of the Sahibganj police are not ready to take a lesson if there are regular recurrence of such and similar incidents smearing the image of the police.
On April 7, 2020, a rape suspect Vijay Mandal (22) was found hanging in the police lock-up room at Rajmahal police station of the district. He was called for questioning for allegedly raping a minor girl and then arrested. The family alleged that he died due to physical torture in police custody. His father Nimai Mandal had demanded action against police personnel. A case of unnatural death was registered but police denied any torture and custodial death. Aman Kumar was SP of Sahibganj at that time.
The BJP was in power when one Mutund Sheikh died in police custody on July 14, 2017. A native of Narainpur he was taken into police custody in an alleged rape case. Police said that he died due to illness whereas the family alleged that he was physically tortured to death. The then SP P. Murugan had suspended the concerned officer-in-charge B. D. Choudhary.
The unforgettable case of Rupa Tirkey
The suspected case of suicide/murder of Sahibganj police’s own officer, sub-inspector Rupa Tirkey, put the police in the dock. Serving as officer-in-charge of Mahila Police station, Rupa Tirkey was found hanging at her residential quarters in Sahibganj on May 3, last year. The police first declared it a case of suicide and later on arrested her colleague Shiv Kumar Kanaujia on the charge of the abetment of suicide. Alleged character assassination of the deceased cop was made by some police officials. The family claimed Rupa Tirkey was murdered and alleged Sahibganj police for saving some high-profile persons. The Jharkhand High Court handed over the case to the CBI and made some serious observations about the police.
