Mayawati suspends 2 cops for attacking journalist

In a post-midnight action, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister ordered the suspension of two police officers who not only
assaulted the local bureau chief of IBN - 7, but also tried to frame him in a false criminal case late Sunday night.

Hundreds of journalists from the electronic as well as print media marched to the chief minister's residence where they staged a sit-in demonstration until a senior official of the chief minister's office and announced the suspension of Superintendent of Police (city) B P Ashok and Hazratganj circle officer Anoop Kumar.

"The government has decided to order the suspension of both B P Ashok and Anoop Kumar against whom a criminal case is also being registered", senior Indian Administrative Service officer and secretary to chief minister, Navneet Sehgal, told mediapersons outside the chief minister's official residence.

A criminal case was also registered against both the cops for assaulting

the journalist and for attempting to cook up a false criminal case against him, besides giving him life threats.

The victim, Shalab Mani Tripathi, told mediapersons, "I was standing on the roadside, some distance away from my office, when some cops led by the SP (city) B P Ashok pounced on me and dragged me into their vehicle and took me to the nearby Hazratganj police station. I was
beaten on the way and after reaching the police station Ashok threatened to eliminate me if I continued to run anti-police stories."

Tripathi said he had reason to believe that the police was out to target him because he had consistently exposed manipulations by them in several criminal cases, including that of deputy chief medical officer Y S Sachan, who was shown as having committed suicide in jail.

Known for his arrogance and bullying attitude, Ashok had earlier got away with similar acts because of his connections with the ruling party bigwigs.