CCTV footage exhibits the police dragging away soldier Jay Kishore’s father Raj Kapoor Singh
Patna:
The father of a Bihar soldier who was killed in motion within the 2020 Galwan clashes with China was allegedly manhandled and arrested final evening over a dispute linked to land for the soldier’s memorial. The arrest has sparked protests on the soldier’s village in Bihar’s Vaishali.
CCTV footage exhibits the police dragging away soldier Jay Kishore’s father Raj Kapoor Singh from the village. The household alleges that he was crushed by the police.
Singh has been charged below the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after a grievance in opposition to him by Dalit villagers who accused him of encroaching upon authorities land.
“The police officer got here and informed us take away the memorial inside 15 days. Last evening, they arrested my father, dragged him, slapped him, abused him, and in addition beat him on the police station,” alleged Mr Singh’s different son, Nand Kishore Singh.
“They got here at the hours of darkness and arrested him like he’s a terrorist,” he claimed.
As information of the arrest unfold, a number of villagers arrived on the memorial and protested in opposition to the police.
The police, nonetheless, claimed there was extra to it.
Police officer Poonam Kesari stated she acted on a grievance from villagers that the soldier’s memorial had blocked entry to a neighbour’s farm.
“They constructed a memorial, then in a single day partitions got here up round it. There was encroachment on authorities land. He was informed repeatedly to take away the encroachment,” the officer stated.
In February final 12 months, the household put up a bust of the soldier on a chunk of land outdoors their house and plenty of authorities officers participated in a ceremony to unveil the memorial.
The memorial was constructed illegally on authorities land, alleged Singh’s neighbour Harinath Ram, blocking his approach to his property.