BOKARO, July 3: An Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Bihar, J K Sinha, in his report to State Home Commissioner D P Maheshwari has held the police guilty in a case involving the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Dhanbad Lok Sabha member Rita Verma.

According to reports, on Jaunary 9, Verma, after informing the Bokaro district administration and the police in advance, had launched a dharna here demanding an end to the practice of awarding hundreds of crores of rupees worth job orders dealing with cleaning of ash ponds of the Bokaro Steel Ltd (BSL) to private contractors. Her plea to the BSL management was that these contracts, which are awarded every year, be handed over to its sick subsidiary Hindustan Steel Construction Ltd (HSCL).

However, the next day a group of workers led by private contractors who were opposed to the revival of the HSCL, took out an armed procession demanding that Verma withdraw her dharna. Her refusal led to a scuffle between her supporters and the contractors resulting in violence. Verma's bodyguard resorted to firing and the contractors beat up her supporters with iron rods. Six persons were injured and Verma was arrested on charges of rioting and breach of public peace. Subsequently, she was remanded to judicial custody for four days till bail was granted by the local court on January 15.Later, moving a privilege motion in the Lok Sabha, Verma alleged that the police and the magistrates who were deployed at the dharna site did not allow her to lodge a complaint. Also, they did not reach the spot on time and when they did, Bokaro Sub-Divisional Officer Sita Ram Bari implicated her in a false case, while Deputy Superintendent of Police D P Rai slapped her, assistant sub-inspector S Yadav pulled her saree and Magistrate M Anwar remained mute.

Sinha, who was asked by the Home Commissioner to inquire into her allegations, in his confidential four page report (No 556, dated June 24), has indicted these officials by holding them responsible for the uncivilised conduct on Verma. Claiming to have interrogated the concerned officials and examined the relevant records, Sinha in his report states: ``Despite availability of these officials, the honorary MP and her supporters were attacked and the district administration did not take any action... Some officials confide... that Rai had abused her and some people saw clear signs of slaps on the face of the honorary MP immediately after her arrest.''Even Bokaro superintendent of Police Rajesh Chandra could not avert this unfortunate incident, mentions the IGP's report stating: ``...because the police and the magistrates did not interfere in time, the bodyguard of the MP had to resort to firing (in the air) and the matter worsened.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.