Custody Death: Odisha DGP Suspends Errant Police Officer

Nabarangpur:Director General of Police (DGP) RP Sharma has suspended Kodinga IIC Pushpendu Sagar following the death of an elderly detainee due to alleged custodial torture in Nabarangpur district.

The victim, Gobardhan Bindhani (62), had died while on the way to Vishakhapatnam for treatment.

The action was taken against the IIC for not following the rules on persons in police custody.

Notably, tension continued in Kodinga police station area of Nabarangpur district following the custodial death.

Gobardhan, a resident of Panjaraguda village near Dabugaon, allegedly died after being assaulted by police. When the police sent his body to his village, family members and residents refused to accept it initially, saying the police were trying to suppress the matter. It was only after Dabugam MLA Manohar Randhari intervened on Monday and assured them of action against the accused, that the family accepted the body and performed the last rites.

A police team had raided the Khutiguda weekly market on Saturday and picked up Gobardhan for his alleged involvement in illegal betting on cockfights. The police also assaulted some other persons allegedly involved in betting activity, sources said.

Police detained Gobardhan at Kodinga police station, where he was allegedly tortured. He was rushed to Nabarangpur district headquarters hospital in a critical condition and from there shifted to a hospital in Visakhapatnam.

On Sunday morning, his family received news of his death. Irate residents then laid siege to the police station and staged a road blockade by burning tyres. Section 144 of CrPC was imposed in the area to avoid any untoward incident.