In an alleged case of police excess in connivance with local political goons, a village post master, after fighting for 16 months, finally lost his life while his two kids and widow became the worst sufferers.
According to a complaint of Naliniprava, the widow of deceased Purna Chandra Sahu of Khajuria village under the Brahmagiri police station limits, her husband was being harassed and tortured by the political goons of the village, while the police looked the other way to his numerous complaints and even preferred not to act on the direction of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), which had directed the cops to provide security to Sahu’s family.
Presenting her grievance to the Puri SP and the media persons, Naliniprava said her husband was forcibly administered poison by the goons of her village. She stated that their ordeal began sixteen months ago, when her husband refused to take oath along with other villagers to vote a particular candidate during the panchayat elections. Since then the villagers ostracized their family and were harassing them in various ways. They disconnected the electric connection to their house, prevented use of community tube well and ponds and even drove out their two school going children from the school and falsely implicated Sahu in criminal cases with the help of the Brahmagiri police.
She said in her complaint that on May 7 last, the Brahmagiri police asked Sahu to come to the police station to get back his bike which was snatched by anti socials earlier. As soon as he approached the police station, he was allegedly roughed up and handcuffed by the police who instead of returning the bike booked him in a false case and sent him to jail, said Nailiniprava. He, however, was released on bail on May 9. The very next day, he was attacked by some political goons of his village and he came to the police station with his family. The police inspector did not heed to his complaint and detained the family members in the police station till late in the night, she added.
Earlier, the Brahmagiri police did not complied with the direction of the SHRC which asked the police to ensure safety of the family and take action against the culprits. Sahu on May 22 last went to the SHRC office at Bhubaneswar and allegedly lodged a complaint against the Brahmagairi police inspector for inaction.
On May 23 early morning, some unknown persons informed Naliniprava that his husband was lying unconscious at the Bhubaneswar railway platform. The family members rushed to the spot and informed the GRP which allegedly did not respond to their complaint. Sahu was taken to a Bhubaneswar hospital where after treatment he regained sense and named the persons who forcibly administered poison to him, Naliniprava said. On May 27, he was referred to the SCB Medical College Hospital as his condition deteriorated. After battling for life, he succumbed, Naliniprava said. When asked, Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahoo said the ASP would investigate into case.