Patna: Father of a Bihar soldier who died fighting troops during the Galwan valley standoff in 2020 was arrested and allegedly manhandled by the police on February 27 over a dispute linked with the soldier's memorial. However, police have denied the allegation.
Soldier Jay Kishore's father Raj Kapoor Singh was arrested from Vaishali on Saturday, sparking protests in his village.
CCTV footage playing on TV news channels shows police dragging away the soldier's father from the village. The family has also alleged that he was beaten up by the police.
As per a report by NDTV, Singh has been charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after a complaint against him by Dalit villagers who accused him of encroaching upon government land.
Father dragged, slapped, and abused, alleges family
The report further states that Singh's other son Nand Kishore Singh informed the police officer have asked them to remove the memorial within 15 days. He also alleged that his father was dragged, slapped, and abused.
As news of the arrest spread, several villagers arrived at the memorial and protested against the police.
Police informed that they acted on a complaint from villagers who claimed that the soldier's memorial had blocked access to a neighbour's farm.
In February last year, the family put up a memorial of the soldier on a piece of land outside their home and many government officials participated in a ceremony.