Advocate Devi Prasanna Patnaik, who was allegedly assaulted by policemen here on August 28 triggering the ongoing month-long lawyers-police row in the State, did not appear before Crime Branch IGP Arun Bothra on Saturday and sought some more time to respond to the summon notice as he is unwell.
“The advocate is named as accused in at least three FIRs. He was summoned for questioning on the day. Since he is unwell and has sought some more time, we will allow him the time,” said Bothra, who has been entrusted by the Supreme Court to investigate into all the four FIRs registered soon after the unsavoury August 28 incident.
The IGP, after taking up the FIRs for investigations on September 29, has already examined all the named accused persons in the four FIRs but not the advocate, who is also the complainant in one of the FIRs. Adjudicating a PIL that has sought a judicial inquiry into the incident, the Orissa High court is also monitoring the investigations of the FIRs.