Patna: A class 12 students was thrashed by two police officers and locked up behind bars for three days for speaking in English. The incident happened in Khagaria district of Bihar when policemen perceived him as arrogant for speaking in a foreign language.
Abhishek Kumar approached Chautham police station with the owner’s book of his uncle’s bike and to visit his uncle who was in custody in a bike-theft case. On enquiring why his uncle was being kept in custody even after providing documents, he was thrashed by policemen. Abhishek had asked, “What is the reason behind his detention?”
“The police officers apparently did not understand my question in English. More than that, they saw my speaking in English as a display of arrogance,” Abhishek said as per a report by DC. Abhishek was admitted to a hospital due to wounds on his legs and back.
DSP Ramanand Sagar who found the two policemen guilty suspended them from service on Friday. Bihar policemen often discourage people from filing complaints in English as it is difficult for them to understand.
In an incident last year; a Police in-charge of Kotwali police station in Bihar’s Munger, informed a local police court that a particular case could not be probed as the complaint was in written in English.