CBI probe into city custodial death case demanded

BHUBANESWAR: The Human Rights Front (HRF) on Saturday demanded CBI inquiry into the Saheednagar police station custodial death case. The Front alleged that Kuldeep Mohapatra died in the custody due to severe torture by police officials.

At a Press meet here on Saturday, HRF president Manoj Jena said the statement which was given by the police at the Press conference on June 5 about Kuldeep for impersonating as a special squad inspector and extorting money was totally baseless. Even attack on Kuldeep by locals was also an imaginary story made by the IIC of the police station, they added.

On the other hand, the members said the locals denied the charge of beating Kuldeep. The locals said that they don’t have any idea about the incident on that particular place said by the police. The members questioned that why the police delayed in treatment of the deceased if he was attacked by the locals. According to the police, if he was severely injured during their rescue in the morning time, why the IIC called a press conference at the afternoon without admitting him in the hospital which was open violation of NHRC guidelines, the members added.

The Front said the police have failed to maintain the Supreme Court guideline to prepare ‘Arrest Memo’ first and then ‘Inspection Memo’ in the case of injured person along with signatures of the culprit, witness and the police officer, which was not properly maintained in this case by the police station officials. The police had informed the family members of Kuldeep after his death instead of informing his family after the arrest which violates the guidelines of arrest, they added.

According to Rabindranath Mohapatra, father of the deceased, the present Saheednagar police IIC had arrested his son in a loot case falsely in 2010 when he was the IIC of Lingaraj police station. We had filed a petition in the High Court, the Human Rights Commission and the SDJM Court the illegal arrest and it was the reason behind the death of Kuldeep, he added.

Besides CBI inquiry, the Front demanded suspension and stringent action against IIC Alok Jena and the police officers who were in the duty and adequate compensation for the deceased’s family.      

Among others, Ambedkar Lohia Bichar Manch president Pratap Sahu, Odisha Pragati Mahila Manch convener Mamata Samantray, HRF member Sandeep Mohnaty and family members of the deceased Kuldeep were present.