BPSC aspirant slapping case: NHRC directs Bihar CS to ‘take appropriate action’
The NHRC deemed Singh’s actions “not justified at all” during its proceedings while referencing the widely circulated video
PATNA: The national human rights commission (NHRC) on Friday directed the Bihar chief secretary to “take appropriate action” against the district magistrate of Patna in Bihar, Chandrashekhar Singh, who was caught on camera slapping a Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirant on December 13. The aspirant was part of a group of students protesting an alleged question paper leak at a centre in Patna.
The NHRC deemed Singh’s actions “not justified at all” during its proceedings while referencing the widely circulated video. The footage showed Singh arguing with a BPSC aspirant, gesturing for him to leave, and then stepping forward to slap him.
Supreme Court advocate Vivek Kumar filed a complaint with the NHRC against Singh, alleging that the incident caused distress among citizens, particularly aspirants, who were peacefully protesting to highlight their grievances.
The complaint said, “The use of physical force by a high-ranking official against peaceful protesters is a grave violation of human rights and the principles of justice and fairness.”
Kumar requested the Commission’s intervention to take swift and fair action to uphold the fundamental rights of citizens.
“There is nothing on the petition to show the name or address of the said victim BPSC aspirant. A review of the video available in the media shows the officer in a blue jacket (allegedly the district magistrate) attempting to manage the crowd. During the process, there was an altercation with one of the protesters, and the officer used mild force with his arm to control the aspirant. As such, it appears to be a matter related to maintaining law and order, for which a district magistrate is duty-bound,” the NHRC subsequently closed the case with these observations.
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The district magistrate, meanwhile, said that he had no intention to harm any candidate and explained that he had intervened only to control the situation.