Woman says hung upside down in police custody, 2 Jharkhand cops suspended

Two Jharkhand police officers have been suspended after an Adivasi woman accused them of assaulting and hanging her upside down during a police interrogation. The incident occurred on October 5 near Bagnadi Mahua in Latehar, when the woman was allegedly questioned over poppy cultivation allegations. Chief Minister Hemant Soren ordered the police to take action, leading to the suspension of officer-in-charge Prabhat Kumar Das and Constable Manish Kumar Ram.

The woman, Puniya, claimed she was tied up, beaten, and sexually harassed by the officers, who accused her of poppy cultivation. She also alleged that her belongings, including a motorcycle and mobile phone, were taken as punishment for refusing to record a coerced video confession. The police stated that a joint inquiry team would investigate the complaint and that preliminary findings suggested the officers had received information about poppy trafficking in the area.

However, they acknowledged that the raid and evidence seizure were conducted without the necessary legal authority, as required by the NDPS Act.