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Commissionerate of Police under cloud again

CUTTACK: Within a span of only one month, yet another police brutality slur is levelled against Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Commissionerate of Police. This time the allegation has come against Cuttack city police, where a 19-year-old boy was hospitalised in critical condition after he was reportedly beaten ruthlessly by police for over six days in Thana Hazat.

Niranjan Swain alias Kalia (19) of local Peethapur area was picked up by Purighat police on February 20 on charges of a vehicle-lifting case. But he was not shown arrested till February 27 and was taken to SCB medical college hospital on same afternoon in critical condition. It was only after shifting the boy to the hospital that his father Mangaraj Swain was informed about it.

Niranjan complains that he was beaten brutally in the hazat by police.

“I was mercilessly beaten and was not provided food for all these days”, Niranjan said from his hospital bed. The boy’s father also alleges that his son was given third degree treatment by the police in custody. Mangaraj has also lodged an FIR with the police mentioning about the harassment to his son and requesting the city DCP to conduct an enquiry into it.

City police however, refuted the allegations claiming that the boy was a drug addict and had withdrawal symptoms for which he was taken to the hospital. But the police fail to explain why the boy was kept in the hazat for six days and not produced in appropriate court for the offence he was booked.

Police also failed to explain why the procedures required for taking someone into custody were not maintained in the case.

Meanwhile, a fact-finding team led by social activist Ritupurna Mohanty and members of People’s Watch interacted with the victim, his family members and with the police on Monday.

The team, on the basis of preliminary findings believes that the boy was tortured in custody and was not given food during the illegal detention.

“We would submit detailed reports to State and National Human Rights Commission and send a copy to the State DGP demanding an enquiry into the incident”, said Mohanty.

She further added that the boy has received two grievous injuries in his back which appear to be fresh and probably caused after he was hit with a rod or lathi.

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