Dibrugarh OC transferred after activist’s suicide

DIBRUGARH: The officer-in-charge of Dibrugarh police station, Bularam Terang, was transferred for negligence of duty on Monday over the suicide of 32-year-old animal rights activist Vineet Bagaria in Dibrugarh.
He has been replaced by Jorhat police station officer-in-charge Raju Chetri.
The development came after chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s visit to Vineet’s residence on Saturday where he expressed disappointment over the role of the police and personally apologised to the family for the incident.
Before taking his own life, Vineet, who was the co-founder of Animal Welfare People, an NGO, alleged severe physical and mental torture by three individuals from Dibrugarh. His father, Kailash Bagaria, a renowned chartered accountant, had alleged that the police didn’t take any action against the miscreants and even refused to register an FIR when he approached them a couple of days before his son committed suicide. After the incident, two persons were arrested.
On Monday, special DGP (law and order) GP Singh visited the residence of Vineet. Speaking to the media after meeting the family members, the special DGP said, “It is very sad that such an incident took place in Dibrugarh. I am apologising for the mistakes done by the local police in this case. I express my deepest condolences to the family.”
He added that he has instructed Dibrugarh police to submit the chargesheet of the case within 60 days.
“We will provide all possible help in connection with their civil disputes to the family. Prima facie, there is no explanation by the OC, Dibrugarh for his negligence. He has been immediately transferred and the new OC will join tomorrow. The mandate to the new OC is clear, to take strongest possible action against the musclemen,” the special DGP said.