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A prominent legislator has raised serious questions regarding the recent vandalism at DC Lounge establishments in Bistupur and Sakchi, alleging a cover-up by law enforcement. The MLA has formally communicated these concerns in a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). The letter probes the reasons behind the Bistupur Police Station Officer-in-Charge’s late-night visit to the Sakchi DC Lounge premises, occurring shortly after assailants from Ramdas Bhatta, Bistupur, allegedly attacked individuals at the Sakchi location with dangerous weapons like injection syringes. The legislator further questions the Bistupur SHO’s presence within Sakchi’s jurisdiction and his alleged intimidation of local residents. Doubts are also raised about whether higher police authorities sanctioned such an intervention and why another police official, Gopal Pandey from Bistupur, appeared more active than the SHO. Pandey is accused of locating and escorting away a young man who had sought refuge in a tutor’s home near the Sakchi DC Lounge. The MLA seeks to know the identity of this individual and whether any communication occurred with the Sakchi police before his removal. The core of the allegation is that the Bistupur SHO and Pandey may have been present to assist the attackers, potentially to erase evidence from the Sakchi incident. The vandalism at the Bistupur DC Lounge is viewed not as a separate incident but as a direct consequence of the violence in Sakchi. The MLA expresses skepticism about an impartial investigation into the Bistupur vandalism by the Bistupur Police, given the alleged conduct of its officers. Specifically, the MLA questions the actions of the Bistupur SHO who allegedly facilitated the return of motorcycles left behind by the attackers at the Sakchi DC Lounge, even transporting them back to the assailants. Instead of seizing the vehicles and initiating proceedings, the SHO allegedly returned them, constituting a dereliction of duty and a criminal act. News reports indicate the police claim to have arrested an accused and recovered a hammer used in the vandalism. However, the MLA possesses CCTV and video footage from the October 13th incident, depicting a planned assault by 30-40 youths, many in sports jerseys marked ‘RD Bhatta’, against patrons of the Sakchi DC Lounge. The footage also reportedly shows the tutor whose home was used as a hiding place. The MLA points out that the police chief’s statements might be based on incomplete or misleading information provided by subordinates. The MLA urges the SSP to conduct a thorough investigation based on these facts, seek explanations from the Bistupur SHO and Gopal Pandey, and examine their conduct, warning that prematurely closing the case could destabilize law and order, particularly in the Ramdas Bhatta area.
