Home guards in Bihar may strike as IAS officer 'assaults' jawan

PATNA: A home guard jawan in Bihar's Saran district landed in hospital after a woman IAS officer allegedly beat him up with a rod over the jawan's refusal to do duty on the road instead of her residence gate where he had been deputed.
The officer, Priyanka Rani, is posted as deputy development commissioner (DDC), Saran. The alleged assault has now blown into a major issue with the Bihar Home Guards Volunteer Association threatening to go on strike if action was not taken against the officer. The DDC, however, claimed that the allegations against her were "baseless".
The injured jawan, Ashok Kumar Sah, is under treatment at Chhapra Sadar hospital for multiple injuries. Sah said he was deployed at the residence of the officer on the night shift on Monday.
"I was on duty when madam returned home at midnight. When I opened the gate, she asked why I was not on duty on the road," said Sah, adding that he refused to obey her order reasoning that his rifle could be snatched in the dark. "She asked her driver to bring a rod and assaulted me while using objectionable words. I fell to the ground. I still don't know what my fault was," Sah added.
A delegation of Bihar Home Guards Volunteer Association met Saran DM and SP and demanded action against the officer. Saran district unit president of the association, Ram Bahadur, said they have reported the matter to the state president who has called a meeting on Thursday. "We will surrender our rifles and cartridges to the armoury and strike work if no action is taken," the president threatened.
"This (complaint) is baseless, having no justification," the DDC told reporters. TOI's efforts to contact her over the phone went futile while DM Aman Samir didn't pick up the calls. Divisional commissioner Saravanan M said he was not aware of the matter and was trying to "get the details" while suggesting TOI contact the DM.