Even as a fact-finding team of the Sundargarh District Congress Committee led by its president George Tirkey visited the house of the Biramitrapur police station custodial death victim Tariq Salim, there is now a new twist in the case.
After the Congress delegation visit an FIR was lodged by the family of the victim on Sunday and surprisingly withdrawn on Monday. It is alleged by Rourkela DCC that the family members of the victim ware pressurised by police and a senior political leader to withdraw the FIR. But Congress would not end its fight against the police excess. The party leaders would again convince the victim’s family to lodge the FIR, said Tirkey.
Besides, the party has put three demands and if these are not complied within a week then the party would be forced to stage an agitation throughout the district and hold a Birmitrapur Bandh on December 3, 2020, he said.
“We are demanding a judicial inquiry to the custodial death as the role of the Birmitrapur and Raibaga police is under scanner, Rs 15 lakh compensation to the family and immediate arrest and proceeding under 302 of IPC against all police personnel who, are involved in torturing the victim,” he added.
According to Tirkey, after meeting the family members and other villagers they are convinced that the victim was severely beaten up by the police that led to severe injuries.It was also revealed from the post-mortem report that he was beaten to death.
He alleged that the deceased Salim was picked by the Birmitrapur police from his house and taken to the Raibaga police station. There he was beaten and tortured ruthlessly by the police which was revealed from the injury marks on his body.
According to him Salim was succumbed to police excess in Raibaga PS but to save their skin police shifted him to the Birmitrapur PS first then to Kuarmunda CHC and then to the Rourkela Government Hospital.
So, it is a clear-cut murder committed by the police. That is why victim’s family was pressurised to withdraw the FIR, he added.