Normal life was completely paralysed at Birmitrapur as the Sundargarh district Congress on Thursday observed a 12-hour dawn-to dusk bandh demanding a judicial probe into the recent custodial death of a youth at the Birmitrapur police station.
Vehicular traffic on National Highway-143 was affected and shops were closed due to the shutdown.
A team of protestors led by former Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey picketed the shops at a market complex.
The Congress demanded a major reshuffle of officials in the Birmitrapur police station, suspension and arrest of the police personnel involved in the custodial death and a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the family of the deceased.
Notably, the youth’s death in police custody had sparked tension with locals laying siege to the police station last week.
The victim Md Tariq Salim, a resident of Karbala Road area in Birmitrapur town, had been detained in connection with abduction of a businessman, Pradeep Kundu.
He was reportedly taken into the custody from Simdega district of Jharkhand on November 25.
The youth was taken to different locations. In the course of investigation, he was allegedly tortured, following which his health deteriorated. He was rushed to Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH), where he was declared dead on November 26.