The clash between police and the judiciary in Gopalgunj district of Bihar that was raging since Thursday and stalled the work in the local courts, took a curious turn on Saturday with a CCTV grab shown on local TV channels and negated the allegations of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Prabunath Prasad. The judicial officer had filed an FIR against Sub Inspector (SI) of Police Arvind Kumar Yadav and other cops for slapping him.
The CCTV footage beamed by some news channels showed Prasad hitting at policemen on duty and one of them seen running away from there in bid to escape the magistrate’s wrath. Prasad is helped by some of his supporters including lawyers in taking on the cops.
The Patna High Court has already issued summons to Director General of Police PK Thakur and Principal Secretary Home Amir Subhani. They have been directed to appear before a division Bench headed by acting chief justice Iqbal Ahmad Ansari on Monday.
The ACJM who was pillion riding in his bid to reach the court after his vehicle developed snag had been stopped by the policemen on duty at Munia Chowk as the short route to the court had been barricaded in view of the District Board election. Prasad pleaded he was a judicial magistrate end even showed his ID card. He alleged that the SI refused to listen him. He even refused to take the phone when Prasad said that the SP was on the line and during this heated argument “the SI lost his cool and slapped”. A constable also joined Yadav in beating the judicial officer, Prasad alleged in his FIR.
Soon the news broke and the lawyers and other court staff halted work and rushed to the spot and escorted Prasad to the court, who narrated the incident to the district and session judge Sunil Dutt Mishra.
Mishra intimated the incident to the Registrar of Patna High Court on Thursday itself Divisional Commissioner and Gopalgunj DM also rushed to the lower court and took the statement of Prasad as well as that of SI Yadav. Both Prasad and Yadav are in their mid thirties.
On Friday policeman Yadav filed a counter FIR against ACJM accusing him of beating him and other cops on duty while forcing his way towards court. He alleged that Prasad also incited lawyers to assault him and other cops. In his FIR filed with town police station, Yadav alleged that when he stopped Prasad he hurled abuses and when other policemen intervened they were too misbehaved. The FIR alleged that the ACJM and his supporters charged towards men in khaki and assaulted them in full public view.
The joint report of the Gopalgunj DM and SP submitted to the Government and the High Court has reportedly held ACJM guilty of misbehaving with policemen and assaulting them. To prove their point the reported has also annexed CCTV grabs clearly showing Prasad and others chasing and hitting the policemen.
No official came on record to say anything pleading that the matter was sub-judiced and the High Court will take up the case on Monday.