Advocate Rakesh Rawal Assault Case: SHO, Two Constables Suspended After Lawyers Stage Protest At Police Station

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Jehangirabad police station SHO Rajan Singh Ahirwar and two constables were suspended after lawyer Rakesh Rawal alleged that police personnel assaulted him on Tuesday night. Rawal claimed officers abused him, pushed him into the mud and beat him with sticks after stopping his vehicle near Khatlapura Temple. About 50 lawyers protested at the police station until 3 am on Wednesday, demanding action. Police have ordered a preliminary inquiry into the alleged assault.

According to the report, 45-year-old Rakesh Rawal said he was returning from the Khatlapura Temple area when police personnel stopped his vehicle and asked him to accompany them to the police station. He said he told them his vehicle did not have enough petrol to make the trip.

Rawal alleged that the officers then abused him verbally. When he objected, they pushed him into the mud and struck him with sticks, he said. The inquiry has yet to establish what happened during the encounter.

After learning of his allegations, lawyers gathered at Jahangirabad police station. They demanded action against Ahirwar and the other personnel they said were involved. Their protest continued into the early hours of Wednesday.

The lawyers released a video in which marks can be seen on Rawal’s legs and his clothes appear covered in mud. The video does not independently establish how the marks were caused.

Following the protest, the deputy commissioner of police for Zone 1 suspended Ahirwar and constables Yash Lakhera and Ramswaroop. All three have been attached to the Reserve Centre during their suspension.

Police have directed that a preliminary inquiry report be submitted within seven days. Inspector Hari Kishan Lohia has been given charge of Jahangirabad police station. No findings against the suspended personnel have yet been announced.