DGP’s video recording strategy is not so ‘catchy’

The manner in which Patna was held to ransom on June 2 by the supporters of slain Barmeshwar Singh alias Mukhiya during his funeral procession raised several questions, especially the way, the police remained a mute spectator to all the happenings.

However, the police, under instruction from the higher ups, claimed to have done video-recording to book the vandals. Three months later, the videography seems to have hardly yielded much result. “In fact, the police hardly did any video recording, It depended on the media for footage,” admitted a police officer.

On the basis of video footage procured from the media, the police could book just nine persons, including two who surrendered before the court. The police had released an album of 30 troublemakers involved in the incident of June 2 and sought people’s support in nabbing them.

While the larger numbers still remain out of clutches, the police, which had earlier claimed to have identified six motorcycles involved in creating trouble on the streets of the state capital, could not go beyond identification of the bikes.

Police had lodged four separate FIRs with three police stations, including Shahpur, Sachivalaya and Kotwali, against five named and several unidentified trouble makers.

Thousands of anti-social elements had gone on the rampage throughout the day, setting on fire vehicles, including state transport buses, police jeep, motorcycle and a defence Gypsy and a police outpost. They also attacked shops and damaged windscreens of private and commercial vehicles along the 54 kilometer route.

DGP Abhayanand had visited the SSP’s office twice and reviewed the video footage. He was personally monitoring the case along with senior superintendent of police Amrit Raj, SP (rural) Manoj Kumar and 23 sub-inspectors in a bid to identify the anti-social elements involved in widespread violence, arson and vandalism.

Rural SP Manoj said, he had supervised the cases and forwarded nine anti-socials involved in the incident to judicial custody. Police also filed the chargesheet against them.

He later handed over the case to City SP for further action. “We need people’s support to nail the perpetrators of violence, but that is not forthcoming,” said a senior official, adding the intelligence wing of the police and the special branch had so far not been able to give required inputs.

He said, the June 2 incident was not an isoated instance. On August 4, a large number of people attacked Pirbahore police station and FIRs were lodged against 300 unidentified persons. “No arrests have been made so far in this connection,” said town DSP Manoj Tewari.

So much for the India Photography Service!