BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has directed the State government to pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to an elderly man who was illegally detained by a sub-inspector (SI) of Aska police station in Ganjam district in May 2013. The commission also asked the government to recover the compensation amount from the salary of Rajib Behera, the former SI of Aska police station.
Behera, who is now posted as inspector in Berhampur Vigilance, had registered a case against Meenakshi Pattnaik of Karatali village in January, 2013 for allegedly stealing a motorcycle. One Manjula Bahadur had lodged a complaint in this regard against Pattnaik.
However, commission's investigation wing found out that Bahadur had taken Rs 1.1 lakh from Pattnaik on the pretext of providing her daughter a government job. When Bahadur could not return the loan, she gave the motorcycle of her family member to Pattnaik and said she would take the vehicle back after returning the money.
Later, Aska police led by Behera conducted a raid at Pattnaik’s house on May 4, 2013. But on not finding her, they forcibly took her husband Purna Chandra to the police station and detained him till May 5. CCTV footage of the police station during the illegal detention was also not available.
"The compensation should be provided to victim Purna Chandra and the amount should be recovered from Behera," said OHRC Chairperson Justice Bimala Prasad Das and Member Justice Asim Amitabh Dash in an order.
BJP knocks OHRC door
BHUBANESWAR: BJP MLA from Puri Jayanta Kumar Sarangi on Friday filed a petition with the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) demanding an inquiry into the alleged custodial deaths of two persons in Puri and Biramitrapur of Sundargarh district.
Sarangi was accompanied to the commission by three other senior BJP leaders. "We have also received three separate petitions from human rights activists over the incidents on Friday," said an OHRC official.