Police beat up a jail inmate in Giridih on Wednesday.

Giridih, Aug. 12: Police personnel used the stick to teach a lesson to a jail inmate, who tried to flee the court premises but was unsuccessful unlike his five other friends. And when a photojournalist tried to capture the police in action, he was thrashed too.

Six undertrials tried to flee from the court lock-up after cutting the rod of a window. Except one, Sanjay Paswan, five — Pintu Hazra (case no. 277/04), Chotu Singh (128/02), Pinku Rawat (56/08), Krishna Bharti (105/08) and Amzad Khan (173/06) — succeeded in the act.

After re-arresting Paswan, the police began beating him mercilessly. When a reporter Vinod Kumar tried to take a picture, the police thrashed him too. “They brought him to the court lock-up and began beating him. I tried to click a picture of this, but they started attacking me too,” narrated Vinod.

The superintendent of police A.V. Minz suspended four policemen, including a sub-inspector, two assistant sub-inspectors and a havildar, holding them responsible for the incident. Most inmates were accused for theft, loot, dacoity and forgery.

Sources said that some policemen, who were deployed in the court lock-up, were also seen collecting bribe from family members of the under trials, leading to suspicion on their role in the act. SP Minz said: “We will take action on the matter and investigate into it.”

Sources also said that the prisoners were not given meals according to the jail schedule and were asked to pay bribes to the jail in-charge for a permit to meet their family members.

After the incident, reporters sat on a dharna at the collectorate demanding action against policemen and met SP Minz. He assured to take steps after investigation.