Kiranahar Police OC faces multiple extortion allegations from residents, including ₹1 lakh demand in Birbhum

Sheikh Asrafull, the Officer in Charge (OC) of Kiranahar police station in Birbhum, is facing serious allegations of extortion and misconduct following multiple complaints from local residents. The accusations center around instances where Asrafull reportedly demanded bribes from individuals seeking permission to construct or renovate their homes. Allegedly, he threatened to file false charges against those who did not comply with his demands, raising significant concerns about the integrity of local law enforcement.

Elderly resident Rabindranath Ghosh is one of the primary complainants against Asrafull. Ghosh claims that on October 17, he was summoned to the Kiranahar police station regarding a dispute over his two-story house construction. Initially, Asrafull demanded ₹1 lakh for the construction permit. When Ghosh expressed his inability to pay such an amount, the demand was lowered to ₹50,000, eventually settling on a payment of ₹10,000. Ghosh stated that he was held at the police station for an entire day before being coerced into making the payment. Following this incident, Ghosh's wife, Sumitra, reached out to the “Didi Ke Bolo” helpline to report the extortion, prompting an official inquiry.

In a related incident, another resident of the same village, Soma Das, alleged that Asrafull also demanded ₹5,000 from her while she sought construction approval for her home. Eventually, the two parties settled for ₹2,000, but the incident further highlights the troubling pattern of alleged extortion surrounding the OC. This has led to a growing distrust among residents towards the local police, who are expected to protect and serve the community.

The situation escalated to the point where the Superintendent of Police, Rajnarayan Mukhopadhyay, intervened and initiated a departmental investigation into Sheikh Asrafull’s conduct. The OC has publicly denied the allegations, claiming that he acted in accordance with the law and detained Ghosh for violating Section 144, which prohibits unlawful assembly. He characterized the allegations against him as false accusations aimed at tarnishing his reputation. However, the ongoing investigation will be closely monitored by both local authorities and the community.