The Malhargarh police station, ranked ninth among the best in Madhya Pradesh, has been disgraced by the High Court for allegedly kidnapping an innocent student from a bus and framing him in a fake drug smuggling case.

What the police said was a “major narcotics arrest” has now been exposed as a horrific misuse of power, prompting the Mandsaur Superintendent of Police to testify before the High Court and declare that the case was made up.

On August 29, the victim, Sohan, an 18-year-old Class 12 student from Malhargarh, was forced off a moving bus. Hours later, authorities stated he had been captured with 2.7 kg of opium and took him to court the next day, when he was sentenced to prison.

However, CCTV images, mobile cams, and eyewitness testimony portrayed a different story.

The evidence revealed no drugs, no chase, no seizure, just a bunch of plainclothes police officers stopping a bus, yanking the student out, and fleeing with him.

On December 5, his family filed a petition with the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore bench, citing illegal abduction, unjust arrest, and evidence falsification.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the High Court ordered Vinod Kumar Meena, Superintendent of Police in Mandsaur, to appear in person.

Meena acknowledged that Malhargarh police officials picked up Sohan from the bus. The arrest shown in the first information report (FIR) does not correspond to the real time and location shown on camera.

A top constable from Malhargarh led the entire operation. The case against the student was initiated after he had already been in illegal custody. The investigation did not follow proper legal procedures.

In a huge embarrassment, Meena also revealed that the officials spotted boarding the bus, whom the police had previously disowned, were Malhargarh police officers, contradicting the district administration’s earlier comments.

Meena informed the court that he had suspended six Malhargarh police officers, including those who dragged the student from the bus, and ordered a departmental investigation.

The High Court has now reserved its decision, and legal experts anticipate stern action.

Senior counsel Himanshu Thakur stated, “The court considered every evidence. It accepted Sohan’s illegal kidnapping from a bus and fake arrest at 5 p.m. with 2.7 kg of opium. He is a talented student who completed Class 12 in the first division. The SP admitted in court that the Malhargarh police acted illegally and against the law. Even the cop who previously denied knowing the bus-boarding individuals has been proven wrong; they were all police officers.”

Malhargarh police station received national acclaim last month, placing ninth among India’s greatest police stations.