The Commissionerate Police on Wednesday suspended Havildar SN Tripathy for handcuffing Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM) secretary general Jagneswar Babu while taking him to the Vigilance court here on Tuesday.
The handcuffing issue sparked controversy with his lawyer vehemently objecting to it. Babu on Tuesday told the media that the Government is treating him as a hardened criminal with a motive to defame the OJM. The efforts to demoralise the OJM cadres would not succeed, he added.
Meanwhile, hundreds of members of the youth wing of OJM staged a demonstration at the Vani Vihar Square protesting the handcuffing of Babu.The protesters alleged that the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government is trying to harass an opposition political party functioning democratically.
The BJP also criticised the State Government for insulting a political leader and demanded a high-level probe into the case. BJP leader Biswa Bhushan Harichandan said a policeman who violates law should get punishment. “If the State Government fails to take action against the culprit, it will be clear that the Chief Minister is involved in the case,” he said.
Notably, a Vigilance court here on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of Babu by 14 days in connection with the cases of financial irregularities during his tenure as the President of the Odisha State Cooperative Bank (OSCB).