Deputy superintendent of police (Town) Ramakant Prasad. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Sept. 21: Bihar State Human Rights Commission (BSHRC) has directed the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to a victim of police brutality and initiate departmental proceedings against then station house officer (SHO) of Phulwarisharif police station Ramakant Prasad.

Prasad, the present deputy superintendent of police (Town) in Patna, has been charged with assaulting the victim, Siddharth, in Beur Central Jail when the former was posted at Phulwarisharif police station on Patna’s outskirts.

BSHRC chairman Justice S.N. Jha issued the directive today while disposing of the complaint filed by Rita Singh, mother of Siddharth, a convicted prisoner lodged in Beur Model Jail, from February 26, 2009.

Justice Jha has directed the government and the director-general of police (DGP) to comply with the commission’s order within six weeks. The commission has asked the government to pay the compensation amount to the victim first and then recover the same from the salary of the erring police officer.

According to the prosecution’s story, a police team led by then SHO of Phulwarisharif police station Prasad, entered ward number 3/21 of the jail at around 7.15pm on February 26, 2009, and assaulted Siddharth, causing injury to his eye. Then SHO of Beur police station Kaiser Alam accompanied Prasad.

In the course of interrogation, the police, who described Siddharth as a drug addict and accused him of being involved in drug peddling, assaulted him further, inflicting injuries on other parts of the body. When Siddharth wanted to know the reason, the police personnel threatened to eliminate him and his family members.

The victim reported the incident of torture by policemen to National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which transferred the complaint to BSHRC. In the meanwhile, the victim’s mother also approached BSHRC for justice.

Though the Patna senior superintendent of police, in his report to the commission, did not find any fault on the part of the SHO, the inspector-general (IG) of prisons indicted the police officer for assaulting the prisoner and threatening to implicate him in false cases.

The IG (prisons) also recommended proceedings against Prasad and members of the raiding team. The IG accompanied by director (administration) of jail department A.C. Mishra, director (industry) BCP Singh and S.K. Ambastha, aprison official had made on-the-spot inquiry and found the allegation against Siddharth true.

The jail doctor had confirmed injuries on Siddharth’s eyes and legs.

“The commission is satisfied that the allegation of assault on Siddharth at the hands of Ramakant Prasad stands established,” the commission said.