Other States - Orissa   

Row over woman's death deepens

BHUBANESWAR: Death of a woman, alleged to be a victim of the police lathi charge, is slowly snowballing into a major controversy with city police finding itself in an “uncomfortable” position.

, Thirtynine-year-old Basanti Behera, a resident of Jhinkijhari village under Khurda police station, died on Sunday morning.

Basanti came to capital city on March 21 last to participate in an agitation organised over denial of Scheduled Tribe status to her community.

She reportedly sustained critical injuries during the police lathi charge. According to her husband, Rahas Behera, she died after painfully carrying the injuries for a month.

Carrying the body of Basanti, several villagers on Sunday came to Sahid Nagar police station to file a complaint against city police whose reported highhandedness led to her death. But police turned them back and did not allow to take out procession.

On Monday, husband of the deceased woman along with members of Dalit Adivasi Surakshya Manch, the organisation spearheading movement over caste recognition for Saar tribe, again came to the police station to receive the copy of FIR. But they were informed that the case could not be registered.

While the top brass of the police was not available for comment, lower-rung police officials claimed that “the woman had fever and she was keeping ill.”

The police version did not entirely convince the DASM activists who had no option but to return without the copy of FIR.

“We have already moved National Human Rights Commission and National Commission for Scheduled Tribe against refusal by police to accept our complaint. Police continued to dodge us in this case as it was a well-established fact that the injury caused by lathi-charge claimed the life of Basanti,” said Bidyadhar Dehury, president of DASM.

“Basanti was a strong woman. She was also earning to up-bring her two sons,” Mr. Dehury said. “The police offered to rehabilitate the husband of the deceased woman. A meeting has been convened at 12 noon on Tuesday,” he said. The Manch also announced to move court seeking its intervention to file a complaint in police station.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Film Journalists' Forum launch fete held
Eye-catching
Bandh observed in Rayagada against double murder
Four arrested
Row over woman's death deepens
Anganwadi centres facing acute drinking water problem
HC grants conditional bail to CMAS leader
Three arrested on charge of taking obscene pictures
HC reserves verdict on power tariff increase
Final nod for Posco project decried
Villagers oppose move to set up granite quarry

Copyright © 2011, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu