Assam Police arrest BJP leader for allegedly assaulting youth over suspicion of theft in Cachar district

Assam Police on September 5 apprehended a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader for allegedly assaulting a youth suspecting him to be a thief in the state's Cachar district.

The purported incident occurred on August 14, with a video of the event surfacing on social media on September 4. Subsequently, the victim's family filed a First Information Report (FIR), leading to the arrest of the accused, according to the police.

The accused identified as Manoj Sahu, holds an elected position within the panchayat body representing the Dholai assembly constituency in Cachar district.

Sahu is alleged to have forcibly detained a 19-year-old individual in front of a shop on the afternoon of August 14 and subjected him to physical assault.

Following the brutality, the youth’s mother on September 4 lodged the FIR at Dwarbond police station after which a case was registered against Sahu under sections 341 & 342 (wrongful restraint), 363 (kidnapping any person from lawful guardianship), 325 & 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (illegal assembly for common intention of crime) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to the police, the victim was admitted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) in a critical state following the incident and was discharged from the hospital after a two-week period.

The mother of the youth had alleged that the BJP leader Manoj Sahu made the youth forcefully drink alcohol and even attacked her when she went to save her son

The family members later rescued the youth and took him to Silchar Medical College where he is undergoing treatment.

Also read: Assam: Shocking incident of moral policing surfaces in Cachar, BJP leader beats youth on charges of theft