Puri: Personnel of the Satyabadi police and Puri jail have allegedly tortured a man who was arrested in connection with a crime April 29.
Human rights activist Jayanta Kumar Das has lodged a complaint in this regard with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The petitioner claimed that the police and Puri jail officials had violated the fundamental rights of arrested Sanjay Kumar Sukari (35) of Balapur.
According to the complaint, the Satyabadi police had arrested Sukari from a slum near Kumbharpada April 29 in connection with a criminal case. The police assaulted Sukari with sticks while capturing him.
The accused was then sent to Puri district jail after the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court rejected his bail plea April 30. Puri jail authorities had rushed Sukari to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) after he developed health complications May 1. Jail officials chained Sukari’s leg while he was being treated at the DHH. The accused was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital after his health condition deteriorated, Das claimed in his complaint.
The petitioner informed the NHRC that the Satyabadi police and Puri jail officials had violated Article 14 and Article 19 of Indian Constitution in their dealings with Sukari. “The existing laws prevent the police from assaulting an accused while arresting him. Similarly, jail authorities are not authorised to chain an undertrial while s/he is being treated at a hospital,” the petition said.
In his petition, Das has urged the rights body to direct the state government to pay `3 lakh compensation to Sukari’s family. “The state government should collect the compensation money from the Satyabadi police and Puri jail authorities,” the petitioner told the NHRC.
Moreover, he has pleaded with the rights body to direct the state Chief Secretary to initiate criminal proceedings against the Satyabadi police and Puri jail authorities. “The Chief Secretary should organise a workshop to provide training to Orissa police personnel on human rights. The state government should make it mandatory for new recruits of Orissa police to provide undertakings to uphold the human rights of accused persons,” the petitioner told the NHRC.
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