Naogaon police have launched an inquiry into allegations that an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) summoned and assaulted a bus driver at her office following a dispute involving her husband.
A three-member committee headed by the Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) has been formed to investigate the matter.
Naogaon Superintendent of Police Mohammad Tarequl Islam disclosed the information in a written statement on Wednesday.
According to the statement, media reports on January 6 described an incident involving an ASP of the Sapahar Circle and a bus driver that allegedly occurred on January 4. After the matter came to the attention of the superintendent of police, the inquiry committee was formed to verify the facts and has been instructed to submit its report within a short time.
Confirming the development, SP Mohammad Tarequl Islam said: “A three-member inquiry committee has been formed under the leadership of the Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime), and they have been directed to submit their report promptly.”
According to the complaint, Himachal Paribahan driver Badal and supervisor Siam said their passenger bus left Sapahar for Rajshahi around 9:30am on January 4. One of the passengers was Jayanta Barman, a college teacher and the husband of Sapahar Circle ASP Shyamoli Rani Barman, who allegedly attempted to get off at Dhansura without purchasing a ticket.
When the bus reached Dighar Mor, the passenger assigned to the seat occupied by Jayanta Barman boarded the bus. Supervisor Siam asked him to vacate the seat, after which Jayanta Barman allegedly became angry, identified himself as the husband of the Circle ASP, and threatened the supervisor. An argument later followed with the driver, and Jayanta Barman subsequently got off the bus at Dhansura.
Later that night, around 10:00pm, when the bus returned to Sapahar, driver Badal was summoned from the bus stand to the Circle Office. Upon arrival, his mobile phone was reportedly taken, and he was allegedly assaulted by ASP Shyamoli Rani Barman and her husband. Badal was later admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
Hospital spokesperson Shankar Kumar Biswas said the patient received treatment on Monday afternoon and had bruise marks on his body. He was discharged after treatment.
Badal alleged that he was taken to the Circle Office by the ASP’s bodyguard, who assaulted him, while Jayanta Barman punched and kicked him and the ASP struck him. He said he has been asked to appear in Naogaon on Thursday, where the superintendent of police is expected to be present.
Rajshahi Bus Owners’ Association General Secretary Nazrul Islam said Badal contacted him after being summoned to the ASP’s office. He said he spoke to the ASP, who told him the driver had behaved badly and asked that he be sent to the office. About half an hour later, Badal called again and said he had been beaten, Islam said.
Denying the allegations, ASP Shyamoli Rani Barman said she heard the driver behaving badly while her husband was on the phone with her. She said the driver and supervisor were later called to the office, where the driver apologized, while the supervisor did not appear. “The allegation of assault is not true; the matter has been exaggerated,” she said.