In a surprising scenario in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district, four police personnel have been booked on charges of assault and extortion following a court order on Saturday.
As reported by news agency PTI, the FIR was filed on Friday at the Dokati police station based on a complaint lodged by Mantu Yadav (24), a resident of Dalan Chhapra village who is preparing for competitive exams in Prayagraj.
The accused include former station officer Madan Patel and three constables, namely Rinku Gupta, Jyotish, and Ashish Maurya.
All three accused have been booked on charges of assault, verbal abuse and criminal intimidation. According to the registered FIR, Mantu Yadav had come to his village for the Holi festival in February 2024. While returning home on a motorcycle with his uncle, Jitendra Kumar Yadav, after attending a feast, they were stopped at the Nawanagar Dhala during a night checking drive.
The complainant alleged that when he questioned the reason for being taken to the police station, the personnel allegedly physically assaulted, verbally abused, and threatened to kill him, reported PTI.
The victim further alleged that the policemen also took Rs 1,000 from his pocket and demanded Rs 40,000 as a bribe for his release.
Although a friend allegedly paid the bribe, Mantu Yadav was “falsely” charged under Section 151 (breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It was also reported that despite paying the bribe, the victim was later arrested on April 1, 2024, along with two others on charges of transporting cannabis on his motorcycle.
He later filed a petition against the police personnel in the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court on August 23, 2024.
Listening to his petition, CJM Shailesh Kumar Pandey`s court, on November 12, ordered the Dokati station officer to register a case against the accused and commence an investigation.
On Saturday the Bairia Circle Officer (CO) Mohammad Fahim Qureshi confirmed that a case has been registered based on the CJM`s directive, and the police are investigating the matter, reported PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)