The Patna High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to take over the inquiry into the disappearance of a Bihar man who vanished from custody a year ago, faulting state authorities for an inaction-plagued and biased investigation.
A division bench of Justices Rajeev Ranjan Prasad and Alok Kumar Sinha delivered the order on August 7 in response to a petition filed by Gauri Shankar Ram. Ram had sought an independent investigation into the whereabouts of his son, Sanoj Kumar, a centring mason who went missing after being detained by Excise Police in Bhojpur district on August 13, 2025.
Flaws in State Investigation
The court classified the matter as an exceptional case requiring an independent central agency, noting that the local probe suffered from prolonged delays and clear institutional bias. According to the bench, state investigators failed to demonstrate urgency after an initial police complaint was filed, neglected to promptly examine local witnesses, and delayed key interrogations and scientific evidence collection.
Judges also questioned the narrative provided by law enforcement, which claimed that Kumar escaped by jumping from a transit vehicle. The court observed that the transport vehicle’s doors were secured from the outside, making an escape impossible without assistance. Furthermore, records revealed inconsistencies in Excise official statements, alongside evidence of a scuffle in which a private driver engaged by the excise team pulled Kumar by placing a towel around his neck.
The High Court expressed concern that high-ranking suspects, including two Assistant Sub-Inspectors, were situated to improperly influence the local investigation.
Background and Suspects
Kumar was originally apprehended near a Kali temple in Dharahara Musahar Toli, within the jurisdiction of the Bihiya police station, on suspicion of alcohol consumption. On the evening of his detention, Kumar placed two phone calls to his family. In the second call, he informed them that officers were severely assaulting him before the connection abruptly ended.
When his father approached the Bihiya police station the following day to locate his son, officials could not account for his whereabouts. Kumar’s motorcycle was later discovered abandoned near the location of his initial detention.
State police records subsequently identified multiple suspects in connection with the incident, including Excise Department Sub-Inspector Deeraj Kumar, Assistant Sub-Inspector Raju Kumar, Home Guards Dharmendra Paswan, Umesh Kumar Yadav, and Raju Kumar, as well as drivers Raju Kumar Singh, Vikash Kumar, and Surendra Kumar Singh.
Mandate for Central Agency
The High Court has instructed the CBI to assemble a team of reputed officers to lead the new investigation. The agency has been granted full authority to question police personnel involved in the previous, flawed inquiry.
The CBI must present an action-taken report detailing its progress ahead of the next court hearing scheduled for September 11.
