Bihar trainee women constables also attacked reporters and camerapersons in Patna. (Express photo)
Nearly 300 trainee women police constables Friday clashed with their senior male officers and roughed up some local journalists at Patna police lines after their colleague died at a private hospital allegedly after she was denied leave for medical treatment, officials said. The Chief Minister has ordered a departmental probe into the incident, while duty roster in-charge of the police lines has been suspended.
Trainee constable Savita Kumari, a native of Siwan, was reportedly suffering from dengue and had applied for leave for treatment. Her request was allegedly declined and instead she was put on regular duty, the protesting trainee police constables have claimed.
Savita, who was posted at Kargil Chowk under Gandhi Maidan, reportedly had also fainted during duty hours three days ago, they said.
On Thursday night, Savita was admitted to a private clinic in the state capital where she died the next morning, police said.
When the news of her death reached police lines, her colleagues staged a protest against police lines sergeant major Mohammed Maseluddin – a DSP-rank officer who was the in-charge of the duty roster. They reportedly destroyed the CCTV cameras and other gadgets at his office and later damaged around 30 vehicles parked inside the police lines premises.
Patna City Superintendent of Police (SP), D Amarkesh, and Patna Rural SP Manoj Kumar also had to face stiff resistance when they tried to intervene. The trainee women constables allegedly also attacked at least four reporters and camerapersons, covering the incident, with sticks. Extra forces had to be called in from Bihar Military Police to control situation, police sources said.
About 900 trainee constables — 300 of them women — are undergoing training in Patna. According to the trainees, they were barely trained for 10 days and then posted on police patrol, at traffic intersections and to manage VIP movement.
Trainee constables, though kept as reserve force, have to be often put on duty because of shortage of policemen.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe, headed by Patna zonal inspector general, into the matter, even as the police lines sergeant major was suspended.
The CM has also asked DGP, KS Dwivedi, to seek a detailed report of the matter. “It is an act of indiscipline. We will take proper action,” DGP KS Dwivedi told reporters. A detailed FIR may be filed against the trainee constables for “act of indiscipline and insubordination”.
Bihar police spokesperson and Additional Director General of Police, SK Singhal, said that Patna Zonal IG would look into the incident and try to ascertain under what circumstances trainee constables protested against their seniors.
Taking a dig at the state government, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, said, “Rather than taking on criminals, police are fighting themselves.”