The Superintendent of Police (SP) of tribal dominated Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh has been suspended for abusing and threatening a polytechnic student over the phone on Monday. The development came hours after an alleged audio clip of a telephonic conversation between the student and the top cop of the district surfaced on social media.

Taking cognizance of the matter, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police Sudhir Saxena to probe the matter. SP Arvind Tiwari was transferred from Jhabua to the police headquarters in Bhopal and later suspended.

“The viral audio has been examined and it was found that Jhabua SP Arvind Tiwari started abusing a student when he was seeking his help. Therefore, he (SP) has been suspended with immediate effect,” the Chief Minister said later.

Chouhan stated that it was verified that the voice in the audio clip was of the then Jhabua SP. “I can’t tolerate anyone using such abusive words against children. I have decided to suspend him,” he added.

In the audio, a polytechnic student (as per the state government) called SP Arvind Tiwari to complain that around 30-40 students of another group have barged into the junior students hostel rooms and were beating them up. The student was heard saying, “Sir, please provide security for us as 30-40 students of other groups have come to our hostel and they are beating the juniors.”

In reply, Tiwari said, (as the government claimed), “Are you here for studies or fighting? I will put everybody in the police station.” When the student kept pleading for help, Tiwari used abusive words. Later, the student uploaded the recorded conversation between him and the SP on social media.

Asked about the audio clip, Tiwari said a student had called him following a clash between two groups of students in a polytechnic college in Jhabua.

“When the student called me over the phone after the clash, I asked them if they come to study or to fight,” Tiwari said in his defence.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)

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