After police official’s massage video goes viral, probe ordered

THE CONSTABLES IN THEIR COMPLAINT ALLEGED THAT THEY WERE ALSO BEATEN UP AND THREATENED WITH SUSPENSION IF THEY DID NOT FOLLOW THE ORDERS

After a video of a Patna police official getting a massage from constables went viral on social media, the state police headquarters on Sunday ordered a probe into the matter, officials said.

The official, identified as additional superintendent of police Manish Kumar, is posted as a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) in Phulwarisharif in the state capital

The constables had written a letter to Patna’s senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manavjit Singh Dhillon apprising him of the incident, which took place on the premises of Mithlesh Stadium on August 27, 2022.

In the two-page complaint, the constables mentioned that 10 of them (signed by only seven, including four female constables) were asked to report from the police lines to the Addl SP to maintain law and order in Phulwarisharif. While some of the constables were asked to give him a massage, others were asked to wash his clothes at his residence.

The constables alleged that they were also beaten up and threatened with suspension if they did not follow the orders. “We are fed up with the behaviour of the Addl SP and we were in a depression. Whenever we go to his residence, we are scared,” wrote the constables in their letter addressing to the SSP.

“The video in question was received in November. Immediately, an enquiry was conducted and statements of the members of the quick response team (QRT) deployed at Phulwarisharif were recorded. The preliminary enquiry report was submitted to the Police Headquarters. Since the allegations are based upon a video clip, the authenticity of the clip and its source are being examined. The Addl SP had denied the allegations and cooperated with the enquiry,” the SSP said.

CPI (ML) legislator from Phulwarisharif Gopal Ravidas said the allegation against Kumar is nothing new. “When he was posted in Gaya as Tikari DSP, he allegedly thrashed home guard jawans for not giving him a massage and that case is still going on,” said Ravidas, adding that in August 2013, the state police headquarters sought a report from him when he was posted as DSP (Sachivalya) after he was seen in a casual dress while making arrangements for the arrival of bodies of martyrs at Patna airport.