SIRAHA, July 13: A video depicting alleged mistreatment of police constable Anu Raya within the premises of the Siraha district police office has gone viral on social media, raising concerns.
The footage, released on Monday evening, purportedly shows Raya being handcuffed and subjected to mistreatment under the supervision of police inspector Hemant Rai, who is also stationed at the same office.
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According to the video, Raya was apprehended from Siraha market on Tuesday evening and subsequently handcuffed and confined within the office. It is claimed that he endured 12 hours of mistreatment while being restrained. In the video, police constable Raya can be heard pleading, "Sir, please don't torture me like this." It was being said that he had consumed alcohol, but Rai countered by saying that he had not consumed alcohol.
Allegations have also been made that police constable Raya had been assigned excessive duties under the command of police inspector Hemanta Rai. Rai had reportedly voiced his grievances to another constable, who advised him to inform the police inspector about the issue.
In response to the viral video, spokesperson of the District Police Office, DSP Rabindra Raj Pandey, denied any mistreatment of police constable Raya. DSP Pandey stated, "On Monday evening, constable Rai fled the scene after verbally abusing the constable on duty and attempting to seize his weapon. There was no act of torture involved."
The Chief of the District Police Office (SP), Teku Kumar Limbu, suggested that Rai may have been involved in drug-related activities. He claimed that Raya was only detained after approaching the police and denied allegations of torture. Limbu also mentioned that there were reports of Raya being involved in various scandals in the past, which are currently under investigation. The video was recorded after Rai was handcuffed and subsequently made public.
In response to the incident, the Janakpur Madhesh Police Office has formed an investigation team. SP Mahendra Kumar Shrestha informed that a five-member team, led by DSP Gyan Kumar Mahato of the Madhesh Province Police Office, has been assigned to conduct a thorough investigation. The team has been instructed to submit a detailed report as soon as possible.
