A senior police official in Bihar, whom a woman had last week accused of seeking sexual favours, was today placed under suspension, according to a notification issued by the state Home department.
"Mr. S A Hashmi, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Patna Town, is being suspended with immediate effect upon being found guilty, prima facie, of dereliction of duty, moral turpitude, dubious conduct and indiscipline", the notification said.
It said during the period of his suspension Hashmi would remain attached to the headquarters of Director General Home Guards and that departmental action against him will proceed separately.
A probe had been lodged against Hashmi by ADG (Headquarters) S K Singhal on June 3 after an audio clip, wherein the Deputy SP was purportedly seeking sexual favours from a young woman, went viral.
The woman, said to be in her early 20s, had met the Deputy SP with the complaint that the police station concerned was not registering an FIR which her parents wanted to lodge in some connection.
Notice was also issued to Hashmi by the Bihar State Women Commission before which he had appeared on Tuesday.