A case of a lawyer losing eyesight due to police baton charge at Power House Chowk in Kazi Mohammadpur police station jurisdiction in Muzaffarpur has now reached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The affected lawyer filed a petition through human rights advocate S.K. Jha to NHRC in New Delhi and the Bihar State Human Rights Commission in Patna. Subsequently, the case has been forwarded to the NHRC for investigation. Advocate S.K. Jha emphasized the severity of the human rights violation and urged the NHRC to take strict action against the culpable police officers.
The incident occurred on February 7 when Advocate Pankaj Kumar was returning to Muzaffarpur from Patna around 11:40 PM. Police personnel from Kazi Mohammadpur police station, stationed at Power House Chowk for vehicle checking, stopped his car and inquired about his whereabouts. Before Advocate Kumar could respond, a police officer struck him with a baton, causing injury to his eye. Writhing in pain, he collapsed on the ground, prompting all the police personnel to flee the scene.
With the help of locals, he was immediately admitted to Durgashankar Trauma Center at the local hospital. Later, he was transferred to A.G. Hospital, where it was discovered that his eye had suffered a severe injury. Further treatment is now underway at the Shankar Netralaya in Kolkata.
In response to this incident, a police officer involved in the baton charge, Rohit Kumar, has been suspended in Muzaffarpur. During the vehicle inspection, Kumar had wielded a baton to stop Advocate Kumar’s car, resulting in the injury. Advocate Kumar was seated in the driver’s seat with the window open, leading to the baton hitting his eye and causing bleeding. Upon witnessing the severity of the situation, the SSP of Muzaffarpur district suspended the implicated police officer from service.
