Sudhanshu Kumar

The role of a senior IPS officer in connection with the disappearance of a woman allegedly from police custody has come under scanner of the Bihar Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

The commission has initiated a probe against Sudhanshu Kumar, a 1996-batch IPS officer, on a petition filed by a Patna-based right to information (RTI) activist Brajesh Sahay. The petitioner expressed surprise over the elevation of the police officer to the post of IG even after a criminal case was pending against him in the court.

Sudhanshu is at present holding the post of inspector-general (provision) at the police headquarters.

Sahay, in his petition, revealed that Sudhanshu was promoted to DIG and then IG-rank despite the fact that a Purnea court had taken cognisance against him in connection with a case related to disappearance of a woman, Gudia alias Susheela Devi, from police custody in mysterious circumstances.

Gudia, according to the petitioner, was picked up for interrogation from Bardman Haata locality under the jurisdiction of Khazanchi police outpost in Purnea on August 23, 2005 night. Since then, she never returned home. Subsequently, the victim’s father Ram Vilas Singh lodged a complaint in Purnea court seeking action against the policemen.

Then chief judicial magistrate of Purnea Daya Lal Prasad took cognisance against Sudhanshu, who was then posted as the superintendent of police of that district. Besides the SP, four other policemen — Sindhu Shekhar, Gautam Kumar, Jyoti Kumar and Sriram Singh — were made named accused in the complaint.

While Sindhu Shekhar was assigned patrol duty, Jyoti was attached to K. Haat police station. Ram Singh, the then station house officer of Sadar police station, and Jyoti Prakash of K. Haat, were also part of the special team, which was constituted by the SP to carry out a raid at Ram Vilas Singh’s house, the petitioner stated.

The court took cognisance against all the five officers.