Police misconduct exposed: Chatra policemen suspended after viral video of fleeing drug probe; Internal inquiry sparks wider investigation

Chatra: The officer-in-charge (OC) of Giddhaur police station was suspended along with a clerk and computer operator for dereliction of duty after a viral video, showing them fleeing Bindhani village under Rajpur police station in plainclothes after being pushed back locals while trying to pick up a youth for allegedly being involved in drug trafficking, surfaced on social media.Chatra SP Sumit Kumar Agarwal suspended OC Shiva Yadav, clerk Mahesh Yadav and computer operator Sandeep Prajapati on Wednesday late evening after a viral video and findings of an internal inquiry.The trio allegedly were travelling in a vehicle being driven by one Bittu Dangi, accused in drug trade and cattle smuggling. They did not inform the local police station and allegedly skipped legal protocols. The situation escalated when villagers opposed the action and recorded videos of the incident, which later went viral on social media. Facing resistance, Yadav and his team reportedly fled the spot.“The department will not tolerate any compromise on discipline and transparency. Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty,” Agarwal said. Simaria subdivisional police officer Shubham Khandelwal was asked to probe the incident.