Taking a tough stand the State Government suspended Moradabad SSP Rajesh Modak D Rao for allegedly beating up three policemen who were posted as his followers at his residence for making a senior SP leader wait.
"The SSP has been suspended following complaint by three policemen who were beaten up by Rajesh Modak. An enquiry has been ordered into the case," spokesman of the Home Department said here on Sunday.
The incident took place when Samajwadi Party leader Dr H T Hasan, who also happens to be party candidate for lok Sabha election from Moradabad visiting SSP's residence was asked to wait by latter's staff. The harassed policemen had complained the matter to the DIG who later initiated an action.
DIG, Moradabad, Amrendra Kumar Sengar said the three police followers had given him a written complaint that Modak had beaten them unnecessarily.
"Guman Singh, Sunder Singh and Daya Kishan gave me a written complaint that the SSP, at whose residence they were posted in Moradabad, had beaten them without any reason," DIG Amarind Singh Sanger said.He said the complaint had been forwarded to the headquarters.
A much hue and cry was raised when this issue came to light. Sources said when these three aggrieved followers were meeting DIG a few journalists reached there for daily briefing. The three policemen narrated the incident to media.
When contacted Dr Hasan said that he was kept waiting for almost an hour. "The SSP did not beat up policemen. He only rebuked them at his presence. The suspension of the police official was wrong," Dr Hasan said.
This incident has sparked a political debate. Samajwadi Party’s national general secretary Ram Asrey Kushwaha said that behavior of SSP was unacceptable. "The SSP has no right to beat up his subordinates. He could have taken action against them," he told the Pioneer.
BJP spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak, said that suspension of SSP is no punishment. He should be arrested and FIR should be lodged against him. Meanwhile senior IPS officer Amitabh Tahkur has sent letter to the DGP and Principal Secretary Home for registration of a FIR against the SSP and also demanded a departmental enquiry against the IPS officer.
''It is inhuman to beat three followers by SSP Moradabad. I talked to the followers Sundar and Gumaan Singh on phone who verified the complete incidence in totality. They narrated the incidence in choked voice. Sundar told me that he was threatened later in the evening by SSP's wife,'' Thakur said in a statement here today.He said that,'' I have also prayed for issuing suitable instructions to all police officers for appropriate behavior with followers working in their house.''