PUCL demands action against Bihar police officers for illegal detention of its members

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Bihar Unit, has accused Bihar police, specifically the Station House Officer (SHO) of Gandhi Maidan Police Station, Akhilesh Kumar Mishra, of illegally detaining, handcuffing, and harassing PUCL members who were raising concerns over the denial of due process to detained students. The PUCL members, including Akash Keshav, Advocate-on-Record at Patna High Court, and Vrati Kumar, a law graduate from Calcutta University and social worker, were detained on July 26 and 27, 2026, during the Bihar Bandh.

They were informed that the detained students were being taken to the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) at Chhajju Bagh, Patna, but were not informed of the specific charges against them or provided with copies of the FIR. When they objected to the lack of due process, the SHO allegedly threatened to prosecute Mr. Keshav and ordered the premises to be locked while forcing both advocates to undergo a breathalyzer test without proper calibration or confirmatory tests.

Both advocates were later handcuffed, taken to the Kotwali Police Station, and held overnight before being administered urine and blood tests at a nearby hospital. The handcuffs were removed only after intervention by legal professionals, and the advocates were released on personal recognizance. The PUCL has demanded that the FIR against Mr. Keshav and Mr. Kumar be quashed and that an independent inquiry be conducted by the Patna High Court into the conduct of the SHO and other involved police personnel.