The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered the Odisha DGP to investigate into the death of a young engineer Amrut Dash and take appropriate action on July 28.
The NHRC passed the direction taking cognisance of a petition filed by the deceased engineer’s brother Subrat Kumar Dash.
In his petition, Subrat alleged that on July 20, 2019 a few people called his brother Amrut from their residence at Kujang and took him to Jagatsinghpur.
Later that night, a police officer from the Tirtol police station telephoned them and informed them that Amrut has died in a road accident at Balipatana on the Cuttack- Paradip road.
Getting information, the family members rushed to Manijanga hospital where Amrut’s body was kept for conducting legal formalities. They also went to the accident site where the deceased’s bike was lying damaged.
However, suspecting foul play in Amrut’s death, their mother Sulochana Dash lodged an FIR at the Tirtol police station alleging that her son had been murdered by the people with whom he had gone from home along with one Arun Patnaik.But the Tirtol police refuted the murder allegation and registered a road accident case and claimed that Arun Patnaik was also hurt in the mishap and was undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack.
Surprisingly, a day after Arun Patnaik was found loitering in the Kujanga Bazaar.
When Amrut’s family members again lodged a complaint, the Kujang police did not register a case. Later, following instructions of Kujanga judicial court registered a murder case and a recorded the statements of Arun’s mother and others.
But the probe was done at a snail’s pace. Though Arun Patnaik was taken into custody he was released on the very next day. Unhappy with the shoddy police probe, Amrut’s mother tried to self-immolate before the Odisha Assembly in 2020. Following directions from the police top brass another probe was conducted by the Kujanga SDPO and he again claimed that Amrut had died in a road mishap.
Following which the deceased’s brother moved the NHRC on July 19,2020. But the Jagatsinghpur SP did not submit any report to the commission despite repeated reminders. However, on July 28 the NHRC directed the DGP for a proper probe.
Meanwhile, the deceased engineer’s mother and brother met the Jagatsinghpur SP on Saturday, and requested him to hold a fresh probe into the matter as per the NHRC’s observation.