Lucknow:

A police officer has been suspended for demanding a cooler as a bribe in Uttar Pradesh.

Manish Kumar Prajapati – posted in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district – has been accused by a man of asking for a cooler and Rs 6,000 as a bribe from his wife. The man, Om Prakash Sharma from Katghara Shankar Village, also claimed Mr Prajapati abused his wife on a phone call.

Mr Sharma has filed a police complaint and provided an audio recording of the conversation as evidence.

An investigation by Madhuban Circle Officer Abhay Kumar Singh found the allegations against the police officer to be true.

A similar incident came to light in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj recently where a sub-inspector was suspended for demanding “potatoes” as a bribe to settle a case. An investigation later revealed that the word “potato” was used as a code for bribe.

An alleged audio of the cop, Ram Kripal Singh, asking for the bribe had gone viral on social media where he was heard asking a farmer for 5 kg “potatoes” who expressed his inability to fulfil the demand and offered 2 kg instead. The final deal was then struck at 3 kg.

Rampur (UP):

Students from a private school protested outside a police station here alleging that a policeman slapped the mother of a former schoolmate and pressured her to withdraw a case of kidnapping and harassing of her daughter.

Taking note of the incident, the district administration has removed a Circle Officer, Station House Officer of Milak Police Station along with two constables while the accused outpost in charge has been suspended, officials said.

The agitation near the police station caused a massive traffic jam.

The mother of the 12-year-old girl alleged some policemen, including outpost in-charge Ashok Kumar, reached her house on Tuesday and manhandled her and her daughter.

“He (policeman) slapped me two-three times and my clothes got torn,” she said, adding that their family was being pressured to withdraw the case.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Sansar Singh said that the woman on Tuesday registered a case against two teenagers under IPC sections 354 (criminal force with intent to outrage modesty) and 363 (kidnapping) after the accused allegedly took her daughter forcibly on their bike.

He said that both the accused have been detained and a detailed probe is on in the matter.

“We have removed the SHO, Circle Officer, and two constables while the police outpost in charge Ashok Kumar has been suspended,” he said.

The additional district magistrate will probe the matter and if it is found that the woman was manhandled, FIRs will be registered against the guilty, he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)