Suspected thief’s death sparks row, BJP links it to Rourkela Steel Plant

While local police claimed Gope died due to accidental fall, a video purportedly of the victim being assaulted by a private security guard on a shop floor of RSP, went viral on social media.
Rourkela Steel Plant
Rourkela Steel Plant

ROURKELA: A major controversy erupted over death of a suspected thief who was found injured near Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) with BJP demanding a probe into the incident on Friday.The victim, identified as Sachin Gope (31) of Deogaon area, was spotted outside the RSP’s boundary wall on Thursday afternoon. He was critically injured and admitted to Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) where he succumbed during treatment in the evening.

While local police claimed Gope died due to accidental fall, a video purportedly of the victim being assaulted by a private security guard on a shop floor of RSP, went viral on social media.BJP’s State spokesperson Dhiren Senapati said the victim’s wife sought his help over phone at around 11 pm on Thursday claiming that her husband was fatally assaulted at the hot strip mill of RSP and dumped outside in a critical condition. However, Tangarpali IIC Rabindra Patra said Gope tried to climb RSP’s boundary wall in an inebriated condition but fell and suffered serious injuries. Quoting Gope’s wife, Patra said the victim used to trespass inside RSP to steal metal scraps. “Family members of the deceased avoided reporting the matter to the police. We suo motu started investigation and after autopsy, handed over the body to his family on Friday,” he said.

The IIC further claimed that the video clip was not linked to Gope. During the investigation, the CISF authorities of RSP told police that four days back, some thieves were caught and later released. On the other hand, Senapati claimed Gope’s wife changed her tune due to police pressure. Challenging the IIC’s version that the video clip was not linked to Gope, he asked police to reveal the identity of the man who was badly beaten up inside RSP. He also demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident and action against the guilty. The video clip shows a man lying and screaming on a shop floor of RSP while a private security guard is hitting him with an object. A few moments later, another security guard is found shoving the man’s face with his boot as CISF personnel watch the incident.

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