The police chief of Bihar's Muzaffarpur district said on Tuesday that she was seeking legal advice regarding the alleged derogatory remarks made against her by MP Pappu Yadav.
Senior Superintendent of Police Harpreet Kaur had come up with two Facebook posts over the weekend, questioning why Yadav or any of his supporters did not register an FIR about the alleged attack on him while passing through the district during the Bharat Bandh -- called by some upper-caste groups last Thursday.
"I am seeking legal advice. Based on that, further action may be taken," Kaur told PTI over phone. The SSP was replying to a query about Yadav's remark that she "wrote love letters to her favourite journalists", while referring to her clarifications to the media about the attack.
News channels had beamed footage of a teary-eyed Yadav on the day of the bandh -- called to protest against the recent amendments to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Madhepura MP had claimed that he was thrashed, and his car and mobile phone were damaged by bandh supporters. He had also alleged that he had tried to contact many officials, including the SSP, but nobody picked up his call.
Commenting on the issue, Kaur said a deputy SP had been asked to look into the allegations levelled by the MP. "But how can the investigation proceed unless someone from his side turns up with a statement and, may be, some evidence like the broken mobile phone or car which he is talking about?" she asked.
"Instead of helping us investigate the matter, the MP has made derogatory remarks like the one relating to the love letter, while claiming to be a champion of women's dignity.
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"In one of his many statements, he has even alleged that I was colluding with Brajesh Thakur, prime accused in the shelter-home sex scandal. It can not get more ridiculous! Kaur remarked.
Incidentally, the Jan Adhikar Party founder had raised the shelter-home issue on the floor of the Lok Sabha, and one of his supporters had blackened the face of Thakur while being produced before a court last month.
"It is well known that the scandal was exposed by the Muzaffarpur police with me at the helm of affairs. Moreover, why would any police official want to attack any elected representative? What personal enmity do I have with him?" the IPS officer asked.
Meanwhile, a "defamation suit" was filed before the chief judicial magistrate's court by a person named Ajay Pandey, who said he was a social activist and his "feelings were hurt" by the alleged derogatory remarks made by Yadav against the SSP.
Kaur, however, sought to distance herself from the matter. "I do not know about it. The complainant has not contacted me.