The daughter of the Bihar police officer Ashwini Kumar who was lynched by a mob during a raid in Uttar Dinajpur district, West Bengal in the wee hours of Saturday has demanded a CBI probe into the murder.
Speaking to the media, Ashwini Kumar’s daughter, Nancy, alleged conspiracy behind the brutal killing of her father. She raised apprehensions on the role of the other officers who accompanied her father during the operation. She questioned how they all returned unharmed while only her father was killed.
Lamenting that her father was abandoned by his colleagues despite all being armed, Nancy said: “Not only circle inspector Manish Kumar, but all those who ran away should be punished. This is a conspiracy and I demand CBI probe”.
This is a conspiracy & I demand CBI probe. They left my father alone despite having guns. Not only circle inspector Manish Kumar, but all those who ran away should be punished. My grandmother also died of shock after my father’s death: Daughter of slain SHO Ashwini Kumar (11.04) pic.twitter.com/JhNcoCpNuG
— ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2021
Meanwhile, the former Bihar cabinet minister Krishna Kumar Rishi and senior BJP leader MLC Dilip Jaiswal have also demanded a CBI inquiry into the lynching of the Bihar cop.
Arrests made till now
The Goalpokhar police have made three more arrests in the case so far. Two out of these three culprits have been identified as Malik alias Abdul Malik and Israel. Prior to this, three accused— Firoze Alam, Abuzar Alam and Sahinur Khan— had been arrested in connection with the death of the Bihar cop.
Based on the statement of suspended Circle Inspector Manish Kumar an FIR was registered at Gawalpokhar police station of West Bengal against 21 identified and 500 unidentified accused.
Bihar cop Ashwini Kumar mob-lynched in West Bengal
Ashwini Kumar, station in charge of the Kishanganj police station, was known for his no-nonsense attitude and strict crackdown against the liquor mafia. On April 10, Kumar was leading a raid in connection with a bike theft case in a neighbouring area under Panjipoda police station of West Bengal.
However, while conducting the raids, Kumar was surrounded by a mob and lynched.
Subsequently, Kumar was rescued by a team of police personnel from the Panjipura outpost and rushed to the Islampur Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
Family of SHO alleges conspiracy
Kumar’s family refused to accept his body after he was granted a gun salute at the police lines, alleging a conspiracy. They raised questions over the role of other police personnel in the team when Kumar was being thrashed by the mob. The family also questioned why was the West Bengal Police was not kept in the loop about the raid.
Seven police personnel, including Inspector Manish Kumar, have been suspended for negligence who abandoned SHO Kumar and fled from the spot of violence when the SHO was attacked by the mob. The suspended policemen include Raju Sahni, Akhileshwar Tiwari, Pramod Kumar Paswan, Ujjwal Kumar Paswan, Sunil Chaudhary and Sushil Kumar.
A day after the Bihar cop’s mortal remains reached home, his aged mother too died of shock. The mortal remains of the mother and the son were taken for the final rites together on April 11, 2020.