Lawyers To Continue Strike Despite Arrest Of Two Persons

Cuttack: Agitating lawyers on Wednesday decided to continue their cease-work strike over police excesses.

At the executive committee meeting of the Orissa High Court Association, the lawyers decided to continue their agitation till all the accused involved in the attack on their colleague are arrested.

Odisha Crime Branch had on Tuesday night arrested two persons, Kishore Jena, a Home Guard and Dillip Singh in connection with the attack on lawyer Debi Prasad Patnaik.

Meanwhile, the Odisha Havildar Association members met DGP Rajendra Prasad Sharma to protest against the arrest of the Home Guard.

“We condemn the arrest of the Home Guard, who was picked by the Crime Branch officials at around 11 pm last night without any reason,” a member of the Odisha Havildar Association said.

Members of the Orissa High Court Association had on Tuesday picketed in front of all government offices and stopped court work in Cuttack to protest against the assault on a lawyer by the police.

The association had earlier met the Law Minister and requested him to take necessary action. But the minister is yet to take any step.

It may be recalled that some policemen had an argument with the lawyer, Debi Prasad Patnaik following a road accident at Nua Bazaar overbridge on the night of August 28. The argument later took a violent turn with the policemen assaulting Patnaik.

Protesting against the police excesses, a group of lawyers had allegedly set a PCR van on fire in front of the RDC office the following day.

Hearing the two petitions filed by the Orissa High Court Bar Association and Nationalist Lawyers’ Association, the Orissa High Court on September 4 had ordered a Crime Branch (CB) probe into the incident.

Both the associations had prayed to the court for an inquiry by a sitting judge and arrest of the erring policemen.