BHUBANESWAR: The alleged suicide of a 27-year-old youth right in front of Golanthara police station has turned the focus back on the men in khaki after letters, reportedly written by the victim, pointing fingers at the local police went viral.
The youth, Santosh Kumar Samantray, allegedly committed suicide outside Golanthara police station premises hours after he went into file a complaint. Santosh had visited Golanthara police station at 6 pm on Monday to inform that he and his family members had reportedly become the targets of some unscrupulous elements.
Berhampur police, however, said they were unaware of any such letter. “We have not received any letter yet. Once such letters come to our knowledge, we will investigate,” SP Pinak Mishra. In the purported letter, the complainant alleged that Golanthara police are hand-in-glove with liquor mafia and other anti-socials. He had also alleged that two persons had collected money from many individuals by intimidating them and they have good terms with the local police. He had claimed that he had collected sufficient audio/video evidence to substantiate his allegations.
Despite informing the police about the threats to him and his family members, the cops kept sitting on his complaint and also threatened to book him in false cases like smuggling drugs, murder or rape, it said.
The police, however, claimed they have not seized any such complaint written by Santosh and if the letter is seized in future then it will be sent to the Handwriting Bureau to ascertain whether it was written by him. Sources said Santosh used to share information with police about illicit liquor mafias, gamblers and other miscreants for which many people had developed a grudge against him.
“Santosh was working in Kolkata and he had returned recently. A case has been registered under Section 309 (attempt to commit suicide) and DSP Human Rights Protection Cell is investigating the matter from all angles,” the Berhampur SP told TNIE. CCTV footage of the police station is also being examined as part of our probe, he added.