PHULBANI/BERHAMPUR: A day after the body of a 30-year-old man was recovered from a forest on Danganamu Ghat road within Gochapada police limits in Kandhamal district, his family has alleged he was killed by police.
Father of the deceased, Jyestha Bondaki, filed a complaint basing on which a murder case was registered. A DSP-ranked officer has now been asked to probe the matter. Police has claimed Bondaki was a drug peddler.
On September 26, Bondaki along with his friend Dasiri Digal left for Gochapada on their motorcycle allegedly carrying ganja and illicit liquor. However, on the way a police patrolling team chased them and hit their vehicle after which the duo fell down.
Though Digal managed to escape, Bondaki could not as he had sustained injuries after falling and was caught hold by police.
Digal, meanwhile, reached the village on Sunday and informed that police beat the injured Bondaki to death and threw his body in the ghat following which they fled with the money, ganja and the illicit liquor.
After Bondaki’s body was found, his family reached the spot and accused police of killing him and dumping his body in the gorge.
“Though Bondaki sustained critical injuries after falling from the motorcycle, the cops, instead of taking him to the hospital, beat him to death,” the deceased’s wife Sukanti alleged further demanding a probe into the matter.
Police seized the body in presence of the executive magistrate and after postmortem, handed it over to the family.
Additional superintendent of police, Balabhadra Deep, said Bondaki’s father filed an FIR basing on which a case was registered.
Phulbani SP Subhendu Patra on Monday informed that a DSP-rank officer has been asked to investigate the matter. “Those found guilty would face stringent action,” he said.
DSP Padmalochan Panda has been assigned the probe.