The Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) of central division AB Ota on Saturday directed the suspended IPS officer and former Kendrapada SP Satish Kumar Gajbhiye to appear before his court positively on September 20 to record his statements in connection with the probe into alleged police excesses on anti-liquor agitators at Namtara village in March 2015.
Gajbhiye along with 17 others, including former district Collector Pramod Das, were summoned to appear before the RDC on the day to record their statements. While the remaining 16, including Das. on the day appeared and deposed before the RDC, Gajbhiye had made a time petition seeking at least three weeks more to record his statements.
At least nine persons, including women and children, had sustained bullet injuries when police opened indiscriminate firings on the agitators last year triggering a State-wide public outcry.
Gajbhiye had immediately denied of police firing, but was, nevertheless, placed under suspension in August same year after he was caught on the wrong side of law for unleashing a reign of terror on innocent people during a public protest against the local self-styled godman Sarathi Baba.
Beginning his probe into Namtara police firing, the RDC last month had visited the district and recorded the statements of the victims.