Nabarangpur: Three police personnel have been in connection with the alleged custodial death of a 23-year-old man at Dabugaon police station in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district.
Nabarangpur SP Madkar Sandeep Sampat confirmed the suspension of sub-inspector Vikram Sahu, along with two OAPF constables, Karan Pujari and Buduram Majhi, who were on sentry duty.
The case began with a missing complaint lodged by a minor girl’s family on April 5. Police rescued the girl on April 25 from Dhamnaguda village under Dabugaon limits and detained Purna Kalar from Anchala village under Medena panchayat on Monday, based on her statement. He was scheduled to be produced before a court on Wednesday but was found hanging inside the police station toilet early that morning.
According to police, Kalar used a piece of cloth torn from his bedsheet, tied to a ventilation frame, to end his life.
Protests Turn Violent
The death triggered immediate outrage. Family members and villagers gathered at the spot, alleging that Kalar was assaulted in custody and that police were trying to stage the incident as suicide. They blocked the Umerkote-Nabarangpur road and pelted stones and glass bottles at the police station, injuring at least three police personnel.
Protesters also claimed the body was shifted to the district headquarters hospital for postmortem without proper intimation to the family and accused authorities of attempting to suppress details by not conducting procedures locally.
Senior officers from Nabarangpur and Papadahandi rushed to the area to restore order. Two platoons of police were deployed to prevent further escalation, and the situation remained tense even after the body was handed over to the family following the autopsy at the district hospital.
Sub-Collector Prakash Mishra stated that a detailed investigation into the death will be conducted and strict action will be taken against those found responsible.
