JAJPUR: A 28-year-old youth attempted suicide by consuming poison inside Balichandrapur police station here after being allegedly subjected to custodial torture.
The victim, Rabindra Malik of Mahipur village in Anaka panchayat under Barachana block, is undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
Rabindra’s family members on Wednesday alleged that he was thrashed mercilessly and stripped naked by the cops in police custody. The torture and humiliation provoked him to take the drastic step, they claimed.
Sources said Rabindra’s physically-challenged father Maheshwar and a neighbour Namita Malik were allegedly attacked by his cousin Badal Malik with a sword on Sunday. In order to save his father, the victim threw hot water at Badal. Following the ugly fight, Badal filed an FIR in Balichandrapur police station against Rabindra. The victim along with Namita also lodged a counter complaint.
However, acting on Badal’s complaint, police picked up Rabindra from his house the same day and detained him for interrogation. The victim was reportedly beaten up mercilessly and forced to strip in the police station. His family members were also not allowed to meet him. Unable to bear the torture, Rabindra took a bottle of poison, which he found in the lock-up room, and consumed it, said sources.
Rabindra alleged that one of the police personnel had kept the poison bottle in the lock-up room. Though he witnessed him consuming it, none of the cops tried to stop him.
As the victim’s condition became serious, police rushed him to SCB MCH on Sunday night. Rabindra’s family members alleged that police did not inform them about their son’s hospitalisation. Maheshwar said his son was brutally assaulted by police in custody and admitted to hospital in a critical condition without informing his family members.
“After Rabindra was detained for questioning, we continuously requested the police to allow us to meet him. However, our repeated pleas were turned down for two days. When we insisted on seeing him, the cops were forced to take us to SCB MCH on Tuesday night. At least four police personnel were guarding my son at the hospital,” he claimed.
However, Balichandrapur IIC Samarjit Nayak refuted the allegations of custodial torture and said Rabindra was admitted to SCB MCH after he fell suddenly ill inside the police station.