Police officer and Sub–Registrar at loggerheards in Jorhat

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, January 5: A non–bailable crimil case has been registered against a senior Sub–Registrar of Jorhat by a sub–inspector of police, Utpal Dutta of Jorhat Police Station, accusing Sub–Registrar Gautam Sarmah of not complying to a notice under 91 CRPC and thus obstructing police investigation in regard to a fake power of attorney deed and a subsequent complaint petition by Sub Registrar Gautam Sarmah against the SI of police in case No 522/14 U/S 353/506 of I.P.C filed in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jorhat, accusing the SI of entering the office room and obstructing the Sub–Registrar from continuing his official duty of registration of marriage under provision of Special Marriage Act of 1954, which is otherwise deemed to be a Judicial proceeding U/S 84(3) of the Registration Act; R/W Section 228 of IPC. Notably, the incident has sparked off a fresh row of controversy in Jorhat and also exposed the lack of coordition between the Deputy Commissioner’s establishment and the police.

Talking to The Sentinel, Sub–Registrar Gautam Sarmah said, “The incident happened on December 20 at 11:30 am when I was busy with the registration of a marriage under the provision of Special Marriage Act; 1954. The accused, without any permission, entered the room and obstructed my official duty. Not only did the SI behaved rudely but also adopted a hostile attitude and started putting embarrassing and unwarranted questions. Whereas I asked the SI very politely if he had some notice with him before interrogating and asking me to stop my duties while additiolly informing about a specific provision of the registration act and about section 86 which envisages statutory safeguard accorded to the Sub Registrar, the officer did not bother to listen and threatened to lodge a false case against me. The incident happened in the presence of several other advocates who are now witnesses in the case, besides Krish Charan Das, extra writer of our office. That day we were also busy with the e–computerization process and other election revision duty as I am also discharging duty as Assistant Electoral Officer (AERO). Question is why would I refrain from furnishing papers needed for police investigation if the police had applied through government procedures?”

Meanwhile SI Utpal Dutta said, “A complaint, Fazlur Ali of Old Circuit House Road in Jorhat had filed an FIR of a case ( 2275/14 of Jorhat PS U/S 120(B), 468, 471, 420 IPC) in regard to a plot of land in Lahdoigarh area of Jorhat of which he is the owner. The case was against the issue of a fake power of attorney deed executed by Sub Registrar Gautam Sarmah in favour of one Rekib Haque Choudhury of Hatigaon, Guwahati who had forged Fazlur’s actual identity and presented himself as Fazlur Ali with a crimil motive to sell that plot of land. In this connection I went to the Sub Registrar’s office to verify the deed and its authenticity and did only what was required under an impartial police investigation. On non–compliance even after issuing a notice under 91 CRPC, I filed an FIR at Jorhat PS under case no 2388/14 of 353 I.P.C for hindering police investigation and the matter is being now investigated by Town Sub–Inspector Dipankar Bora.”