Rejecting a request of police for a 14-day remand of arrested dreaded Maoist Sabyasachi Panda, the local Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court here on Saturday allowed the cops to take him on a ten-day remand only.
“The remand has been granted on some conditions that the health condition of Sabyasachi should be properly examined from time to time; he should be provided with reasonable and hygienic food; his family members and his advocate should be allowed access at the time of interrogation; the accused should not be tortured physically or mentally while in police custody; and the security of his life should be ensured,” informed Panda’s lawyer Deepak Pattnaik.
According to sources, Panda complained before the judge that he was being mentally and physically tortured by the police and also questioned the propriety of the cops for forcing him to wear black cloth in his face, to which the Judge reportedly took a serious note.On the other hand, the family members of the rebel, including his wife Mili Panda, brother, daughter and mother were not allowed to meet him either in the Brahmapur jail or at the court, complained his wife Mili Panda.
“We were not allowed to meet him. It is a clear violation of human rights. We will move the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on the issue,” warned Milli. Panda’s mother and daughter also defended him as innocent.
Police sources said Panda was involved in high-profile crimes like the Nayagarh and Ramagiri Udayagiri armoury loots, Swami laxmanananda Saraswati’s murder, abduction of two Italian nationals and in several other incidents that led to the killing of 25 security personnel and 34 civilians.