Bhadrak SP Chintamani Panda has suspended the ASI of Tihidi police station, Goura Chandra Nayak, for allegedly assaulting a Dalit youth on October 10.
The youth, identified as Sashikanta Das of Sananahunipala village under Tihidi police limits, was allegedly tortured by the ASI and four other policemen at the police station.
A seriously injured Das was admitted to Tihidi CHC and later shifted to Bhadrak district hospital.
The irate villagers had stormed the police station and staged a demonstration, the next day.
The police, however, claimed that Das along with four others had come to the police station in an inebriated state and hurled abuses at them. The youth was injured in the clash that ensued thereafter.
The SP had directed Chandbali DSP Bauribandhu Behera to conduct an inquiry into the incident and based on his report, the ASI was suspended, sources said.