Following the Patna High Court’s strictness, Bhojpur Police took major action, with Excise Department officials facing serious charges of custodial death and concealment of evidence.
New Delhi: Following the Patna High Court’s strictness, the police have taken a major step in the case of a Dalit youth missing for 10 months in Bhojpur district, Bihar. A total of seven people, including two Excise (Excise) Department officials and three Home Guards, have been arrested in this sensational case.
Court and Judiciary
Bhojpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Raj confirmed that six of the seven arrested accused have been sent to judicial custody, while one has been taken on police remand. The arrested officers include Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) Dheeraj Kumar and Raj Kumar.
In addition to these, Home Guards Dharmendra Paswan, Umesh Kumar Yadav, and Raju Kumar Singh have also been arrested. Along with these five government employees, two private drivers, Surendra Kumar Singh and Vikas Kumar, have also been arrested.
The entire case is related to the disappearance of Sanoj Kumar, a 31-year-old Dalit youth. In August 2025, the Excise Department conducted a raid in Dharhara Musahar Toli near Bihiya in Bhojpur district in connection with a liquor case. The family alleges that Sanoj has been missing since he was taken into custody on August 13, 2025.
The Excise Department has consistently claimed that the youth escaped from their custody, but the family has made serious allegations of murder and destruction of evidence in police custody.
The High Court took a tough stand while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Sanoj’s father, Gauri Shankar Ram. Citing the July 2 order before a division bench of Justices Rajiv Ranjan Prasad and Kumar Manish, the Bhojpur Superintendent of Police made a shocking revelation.
Law Enforcement
The Superintendent of Police informed the court that interrogation of the arrested excise department personnel revealed contradictory versions of the incident. The investigation revealed that Sanoj was manhandled while in custody, and that a private driver driving the excise department vehicle had pulled him upwards by putting a towel around his neck.
Excise officials also relied on CCTV footage to support their theory of Sanoj’s escape in court. They claimed that the young man escaped by opening the rear door of the vehicle. However, after reviewing the footage, the Patna High Court, in its oral observation, stated that the vehicle was a fully enclosed Bolero. The court clarified that escaping by jumping out without opening the rear door was impossible.
Given the sensitivity of the case, the court directed adequate security for key witnesses. The police informed the court that two other individuals detained with Sanoj were afraid to speak the truth. The court also recorded the statement of Sanoj’s father, Gauri Shankar Ram, in which he stated that several people were pressuring him to hush up the case. The court directed the police to conduct an impartial investigation into these allegations.
In the previous two hearings, the High Court had raised serious questions about the investigation’s conduct. On June 30, the court recorded that on the day of the raid, Sanoj had called his father at 6:35 and 6:43 pm to inform him that he had been apprehended by excise department officials. Investigators also discovered that the last tower location of one of Sanoj’s mobile phones was at the Jagdishpur Excise Police Station.
South Asians and Expatriates
The court expressed strong displeasure that excise officials handed over the mobile phone to the police the next day but did not send it for forensic examination. On June 24, the court remarked that despite being identified as suspects 10 months earlier, no seven members of the team had been questioned or arrested.
The High Court has warned that if the investigation continues to be slow, the case may be handed over to an independent agency. The next hearing in the case will be held on July 7, where the Bhojpur police will have to present a further investigation report to the court.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy: Hindi News