Legal Reporter
Bihar Human Rights Commission on 17.03.2021 issued notice to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Patna taking cognizance of the complaint of the students of the Patna University against the illegal detention and custodial torture of two students. On 03.01.2021 at around 01:30 PM, Mr. Rijwan Khan, SHO of Pirbahore Police Station, Patna with Sepoy Azad Ansari, Sepoy Chauhan and other constables entered the Iqbal Hostel without any prior authorization or due permission of the Chief Proctor of the Patna University or the Warden of the Iqbal Hostel and started smashing and destroying the personal belongings of the residents of the Iqbal Hostel. These Police Officials started abusing the student who are residents of Iqbal Hostel and threatened them to destroy their academics and career opportunities. Afterwards, SHO Rijwan Khan grabbed complainant, a first year student of the Geography department and started abusing them. After this the Police Team handcuffed them like any habitual offender and took them to the Pirbahore Police Station, where they confined them in the Lock Up Cell and started torturing them. Accused SHO Rijwan Khan was repeatedly slapping them and beating them mercilessly. Upon asking that why have they been picked up, he said that a girl has complained regarding eve teasing and they were the suspects. For thirty (30) long hours the Police Officials of the Pirbahore Police Station tortured him. They did not even present him before the Judicial Magistrate and hence violated the Rule of Habeas Corpus as per the Constitution of India. Moreover, the victim of incident of eve teasing also came to the Pirbahore Police Station and submitted her written statement that complainant was not involved in any kind of alleged eve teasing with her or any other girl. The victim did not even recognize them. She also submitted an affidavit for the same stating that they were not involved in the alleged incident of eve teasing. Even after the denial of girl regarding their involvement in the incident of eve teasing the Police Officials did not let them go from the Police Station Lock Up. That after torturing them for one and a half day, Accused SHO Rijwan Khan let them leave the Police Station at around 12:30 AM on 05.01.2021. He further threatened them to not to complain about his unruly, miscreant and goon like behavior to any one in the University Administration or any Judicial Body otherwise he will ruin entire life of the Complainant.
The Bihar Human Rights Commission has ordered the SSP to handover the report by 16.04.2021 and be present on 26.04.2021.
Read press clippings of the matter here: