A 12-hour Baliapal bandh call has been given by the BJP here on Saturday in the protest against arrest of 13 people in connection with the attack on former IIC, Baliapal police station Prabhukalyan Acharya and vandalising of a dhaba. In a Press brief, the BJP Baliapal unit said the agitation call is given in view of police excesses against the agitators who vented their concerns against mysterious death of a minor boy working in the dhaba.
“Instead of probing the mysterious death and resolving the issue and further, arresting those involved in the crime, they are arresting the agitators who voiced against the unjust. Nobody knows about the postmortem report of the deceased minor, not even his family members, yet police began suppression. In the protest of police excesses, the bandh call has been given,” said a local BJP leader.
Meanwhile, the arrested persons, including a local BJP leader, were produced in the Court of First Class Magistrate on Thursday and later were sent to jail, following rejection of their bail pleas.
It may be noted the deceased minor, who was working in a dhaba located at the Idco Hospital Square for past couple of years, was found hanging from a ceiling inside it on July 26 morning. But despite intimation, the police made inordinate delay in reaching at the spot and sending the body for autopsy, the locals alleged.
The enraged locals in shape of a mob chased IIC Acharya and beat him. The mob also torched the furniture of the dhaba when the owner and other workers fled deserting the eatery.
Following the violent incident, the IIC while was shifted to the DHH for treatment, he was transferred from the police station and Remuna IIC Ranjit Sahoo was posted in his place. Subsequently , viewing the matter seriously , the Director General of Police (DGP) directed the HRPC team to probe the incident headed by DSP Ranjit Nayak.