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Aurangabad: A head constable serving with the neighbouring Jalna district has caused stir by writing a letter to range Inspector General of police requesting him to sanction separate funds for paying bribe to deputy superintendent of polices reader each month.

The head constable citing harassment, has threatened of taking an extreme step, if a solution is not found to his demand. Moreover, he has even demanded shunting out the reader to Dy SP Sachin Bari.

The letter bearing the stamp of Kadim Jalna police station, has been leaked over social media, leaving the authorities in the state police, red-faced.

Senior police officers in the department are terming the incident as a mischief by HC AS Rajput, as he is yet to complete and finalise probe in several cases he has been investigating.

For over three years, Rajput has been serving at the Nutan Vasahat Chowki of the police station, which is one of the biggest police posts in the town. He was officially transferred from the Chowki about six months back, but after several requests he made with the seniors, he was allowed to continue.

In the letter, a copy of which is with TOI, the head constable has stated that his police chowki has about 10 major hospitals apart from Jalna civil hospital in its jurisdiction. Apart from this, the railway station too falls under his jurisdiction, due to which there are high numbers of Medico Legal Cases and cases of accidental deaths get recorded at the Chowki. Moreover, the area under his Chowki is plagued with incidents of theft, further adding to the number of cases.

Rajput has claimed that so far he has probed 35 cases of accidental deaths and on several occasions has carried out last rites of unidentified bodies by bearing all the expenses.

The letter has stated that as per procedure, after completion of probe, the file has to be sent to deputy superintendent of polices office for getting it sanctioned for filing of chargesheet, final report or closure report. He has claimed that reader to deputy SP Bari has allegedly been asking a sum of Rs 7, 000 to Rs 10, 000 each month and allegedly threatened that if the amount is not paid, he would start finding lacunas in the reports and sent them back.

The letter has claimed that the reader has already started doing this, due to which, the pendency of cases with him has only increased and the seniors are pressurising him for clearing the pendency.

I cannot pay him the money from my salary and so request you to please sanction a special fund for the purpose of paying it to the reader reads the letter. The HC has already threatened of taking an extreme step and ended the letter suggesting that the reader should be shunted out.

The undated letter has gone viral on social networking sites, a day ahead of Aurangabad range IG Milind Bharambe visiting Jalna for carrying out annual inspection. The officer is known for being harsh when it comes to pendency of cases and applications in the police department.

IGP Bharambe told TOI, We did not receive the letter officially. Like everybody else, we too received this letter through social networking application and have ordered preliminary inquiry in to the case.

The officer said that Jalna superintendent of police Ramnath Pokle would be personally carrying an inquiry. Anyone, be it Rajput or the reader, against whom the complaint has been drafted, found guilty, would face action.

The preliminary probe has found that the reader had sent back the cases way back in January 2016 and the HC unable to justify the delay in writing this letter.

Jalna superintendent of police Ramnath Pokle said, We are looking at both sides and are set to place the report in next few days.