BERHAMPUR/PHULBANI: Kandhamal SP Suvendu Kumar Patra on Wednesday suspended two police personnel and dismissed as many as three home guards posted at Gochhapada police station over the death of an alleged ganja peddler in the district.
While sub-inspector Ajit Kumar Behera and havildar Ramchandra Nayak were suspended, home guards Abhiram Mahananda, Jagabandhu Kanhar and Ratnakar Nayak were dismissed from service after the family of Jyestha Bondaki of Boudh district whose body was found near Danganamu ghat within Gochhapada police limits on September 26, alleged he was killed by cops.
The SP said the action against the personnel was taken as per standard operating procedure. He said till now, the involvement of the personnel in the incident has not been ascertained.
Jyestha’s younger brother Kanistha had alleged the former and his friend Dasiri Digal were travelling on a motorcycle when police personnel chased them in a jeep and hit the two-wheeler from behind.
After Jyestha fell down the motorcycle, the police thrashed him and post his death left the body in a gorge near the ghat. He further alleged that the cops left the spot with Jyestha’s motorcycle.
Dasiri, who managed to escape the spot returned to his village after two days and narrated his ordeal to the locals. Jyestha’s father had filed a complaint in this regard basing on which a case of murder was registered.
Jyestha’s wife Sukanti too alleged he was killed by police personnel.
“Though Jyestha sustained critical injuries after falling from the motorcycle, the cops, instead of taking him to the hospital, beat him to death,” she had alleged further demanding a probe into the matter.
Police seized Jyestha’s body in presence of the executive magistrate and after postmortem, handed it over to the family. Following this, the SP assigned a DSP rank officer to investigate the case.
Additional SP Balabhadra Deep said the action against the personnel was taken to ensure an impartial probe into the matter. He said Jyestha’s postmortem report has been received but the viscera report is awaited.