Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe into a 14-year-old vegetable seller being arrested, allegedly after the boy refused to give the police jackfruit for free.

The boy's father, Sukan Paswan, said their ordeal began on March 19 when a patrol car reached their rented house at Chitragupt Nagar and asked the boy to accompany them to the police station.

The boy had no option but to obey; when his sister tried to protest, the cops told her to shut up.

Sukan, who is in his 40s, first went to the Patrakar Nagar police station, where he was told his son was not there. Then he went to the Agamkuan police station and waited till 11pm before he was told to enquire about his son at the anti-extortion cell at the office of the Patna senior superintendent of police.

The place where Sukan sells vegetables is on the border of the jurisdictions of the Patrakar Nagar and Agamkuan police stations.

The next day, after much pleading and begging, Sukan was told to visit the Bypass police station in Patna City sub-division. Finally, on March 21, the father got to know that his son had been sent to jail in connection with a motorbike theft case.

When Sukan visited his son at Beur Central Jail, the boy said he was innocent, and revealed that the cops had warned him of teaching him a lesson when he refused to give kathal (jackfruit) free of cost.

"I kept on visiting offices of senior police officers and submitted a petition seeking fair investigation. But nothing happened," said Sukan.

Two other cases were also slapped on the boy.

Sukan alleged that no police officer listened to his pleas that his son is a minor. He provided his son's Aadhaar card, but the police claimed the boy was 18. Sukan's wife, Gudia Devi, also met Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj to appeal for justice.

Sukan then wrote a letter to the chief minister, and a Hindi daily recently carried an article on the father's plight.

Nitish has sought a detailed report within 48 hours, and asked the police headquarters to assign the task of investigation to an inspector-general (IG) rank officer.

"I will meet the victim's family to ascertain the truth," said IG (Patna zone) Nayyar Hasnain Khan, who will investigate the case. "The cops found to be guilty will not be spared. This is a serious matter and exemplary punishment will be awarded to the guilty."

A resident of Sukan's locality said: "Cops collect vegetables from the markets in lieu of protection almost every day, especially in the evenings."