Bihar cop suspended after video shows him brandishing pistol at flood-hit people

The suspension came after a video purportedly showing the incident went viral on social media.

SARAN: The station house officer (SHO) of Maker police station in Bihar’s Saran district was suspended for allegedly brandishing a pistol at flood-affected people during the distribution of relief material.The suspension came after a video purportedly showing the incident went viral on social media.The incident, prima facie, reflects "gross negligence of duty, indiscipline and arbitrariness", said an official statement issued on Sunday."Maker SHO, Sangram Kumar Singh, has been suspended with immediate effect after a video purportedly showing him brandishing his pistol towards the public while distributing flood relief materials in the area went viral on social media," said the statement issued by the Saran SSP's office.Singh will be paid a subsistence allowance as per rules during the suspension period, it added.According to news agency PTI, nearly 9.87 lakh people across 169 gram panchayats in 30 blocks of six Bihar districts have been affected by floods following heavy rainfall in Nepal and adjoining areas in the last week of September.The affected districts include Saran, West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur.(With agency inputs)