BeyondHeadlines Special Correspondent
Patna: In Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s susashan (good governnance), a doctor was beaten to death by prisoners inside Gopalganj jail for refusing to give them a fake certificate. Victim Buddhadev Singh died in the Patna Medical College and Hospital.
The incident occured on yesterday afternoon when Dr Buddhadev Singh, brother of ex-MP Satyadeo Singh, went to the Gopalganj jail to treat a prisoner complaining of illness. On entering the jail, he was pushed down a flight of stairs and then mercilessly beaten up by a gang of prisoners. He died on the way to hospital.
The charge was allegedly led by Rajan Yadav who was recently given a life term in a kidnapping case. Yadav and two others wanted the doctor to issue them fake medical certificates to avoid being shifted to another jail.
Sources have told CNN-IBN that Yadav forced the doctor to issue him a medical certificate as he did not want to be moved to Buxar. The doctor was killed for refusing to give in to three prisoners’ demand.
“I saw the doctor bleeding. The doctor went inside the jail as he was told someone was ill. I wasn’t on duty,” said Kundan Dev, Police Inspector, Gopalganj.
An FIR has been registered against Ranjan Yadav and six other inmates, police said.
“FIR has been registered against the prisoners who are involved in the killing of the doctor. We cannot rule out whether there was a personal reason behind the killing of the doctor. They are convicted criminals and we will try to chargesheet them as soon as possible. We will ensure a speedy trail in the case and see to it that the criminals are brought to justices,” said KS Anupam, SP, Gopalganj.
Taking serious note of the incident, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today ordered a high-level probe.
“It is a shocking incident… we won’t tolerate it,” Kumar said in Patna.
He said stern punitive action would be taken against perpetrators of the crime and Bihar Home Secretary Amir Subhani would submit a report about the circumstances relating to the murder soon.
“The prisoners are already in jail so they don’t have to be arrested, but a case will be filed and they will be tried again in this case. A speedy trial will be held,” said Subhani.
The victim’s colleagues and members of the Indian Medical Association have threatened to go on strike in protest. “The doctor was called inside a room by the prisoners and was thrashed to death,” said Dr Baidyanath Singh.
