SAMBALPUR: Days after the house of a disabled elderly man was allegedly sealed wrongfully over a disputed bank loan, an activist has approached the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) seeking an independent inquiry into the incident and Rs 20 lakh compensation for the victim’s family.
Bhubaneswar-based rights activist Anil Kumar Mallick filed a petition before the OHRC on Monday alleging that the residential house of 62-year-old physically-challenged Dhananjay Pradhan of Gautampali village in Jamankira block was illegally sealed by DCB Bank with the help of the local administration.
Mallick said Dhananjay had neither availed any loan from the bank nor stood as a guarantor. However, officials of DCB Bank allegedly sealed his house on June 5 with the help of Jamankira block administration, forcing the family to vacate the premises.
Subsequently, Dhananjay, his wife, widowed daughter-in-law and two minor granddaughters were forced to live in a single-room house of a relative until the Sambalpur collector intervened and ordered to unseal their house after 20 days.
In his petition, Mallick alleged that the action violated the family’s rights to equality, life, dignity, shelter and education guaranteed under Articles 14, 21 and 21A of the Constitution. He urged the Commission to order an independent inquiry into the incident, seek reports from the Sambalpur collector, Jamankira block administration and DCB Bank, recommend criminal and departmental action against those found responsible, and award Rs 20 lakh compensation to the family.
“If the bank sealed the premises in the presence of block officials, it is apparent that the action had the administration’s approval. This reflects a serious case of administrative negligence, and the district collector must be held accountable for allowing such an incident to occur,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sambalpur collector Siddheswar Baliram Bondar has issued a show-cause notice to the branch manager of DCB Bank , directing him to appear before him on July 4 along with the mortgage deed, loan documents and other relevant records. The collector has also instructed the Jamankira tehsildar to carry out an immediate demarcation of the disputed plot and submit a report.
Earlier on June 25, the district administration had directed the bank to unseal the residential portion of Dhananjay’s house pending clarification of the dispute.
