Acting tough on the errant police officials for brutally assaulting a 15-year-old boy at the Hirakud police station in Sambalpur district, the State police administration on Thursday suspended three cops of the police station, including the IIC, and dismissed a Home Guard.
While DGP KB Singh suspended IIC Sabitri Bal for illegally detaining Sahisa Sahisa, abusing and using brute force against him, dereliction in duty and concealing a cognisable offence for over three months, the district Superintendent of Police (SP) suspended two Constables and dismissed a Home Guard on the charge of being brutal.
Earlier in the day, the SP had transferred the IIC to the district police headquarters with immediate effect.
The SP put Constables Ambuja Sahu and Jeet Narayan Podha under suspension and dismissed Home Guard Siba Gouda for their alleged complicity in the incident.
SP Akhileshwar Singh took the action on the basis of a primary report of the Burla Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO).
On Wednesday, after the shocking incident was telecast in a news channel showing police officials beating Sahisa by tying his hands and legs, Singh had ordered the SDPO to submit a report within 12 hours.
“Prima facie, some persons were at fault. So, two Constables have been suspended and a Home Guard has been dismissed from service. Besides, the police station IIC has been attached to the district headquarters police station,” said Singh. The Hirakud police station officials were too accused demanding Rs 7,000 as bribe from the boy’s mother to release him. The incident which happened in September 19 last year sparked uproar when its video footages were aired by the news channel. The boy had been summoned to the police station in connection with a case of theft of a mobile phone and detained for two days during the Viswakarma Puja. But police officials, including the IIC, brutally assaulted him which was recorded by someone in a mobile phone.
later, the police demanded bribe of Rs 7,000 from the boy’s mother for his release. Unable to pay the entire amount, the woman managed to free her son by giving Rs 6,000.
Meanwhile, taking suo motu cognisance of the case, the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on Thursday directed the Northern Range DIG and the Sambalpur SP to file a report to it within seven days.
The commission fixed January 22 as the date of hearing. A three-member team from the district Childline met the family members of the victim and held discussions with them.