Dumka Police OC Suspended After Alleged Assault on Journalist | Ranchi News

Dumka: Nearly 36 hours after he allegedly assaulted a journalist, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Hansdiha police station, Tarachand, was suspended on Monday late evening.Dumka SP Pitambar Singh Kherwar suspended Tarachand based on an inquiry against him by Jarmundi subdivisional police officer which stated that he had misbehaved, threatened and intimidated journalist Mrityunjay Pandey, and thereby tarnished the image of the police force.On the night of Dec 27, Pandey was travelling with fellow journalist Nitesh Kumar in a car when they were allegedly abused and attacked by Tarachand at Hansdiha Chowk after they enquired about a traffic congestion. Tarachand was in civil dress along with his driver Amit Kumar.The suspension order issued by SP’s office said a departmental probe has been ordered against the OC. “He will have to report to district police line during his suspension,” the order read.Pandey reached Hansdiha police station after the assault. Tarachand reached the station soon after. “When they followed us to the police station and kept beating us, we realized that one of them was the OC himself,” Pandey wrote in his written complaint with the SP which he filed the next morning.Journalists in the city sat in a dharna outside the old collectorate building demanding strict action against the accused police officer, including a formal FIR against them. They also handed over a memorandum to deputy commissioner Abhijeet Sinha seeking Tarachand’s removal from service.