Kendrapara: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the DGP and Chief Secretary over the brutal attack by the police on a lawyer in the Chauliaganj Police Station of Cuttack district August 28 and the police assault on another lawyer at Balasore Railway Station September 13.
Acting on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy the apex rights watchdog sought the response from the state authorities within four weeks.
Lawyer Debi Prasanna Pattnaik was allegedly beaten up by police in public view at Shastri Nagar in the Nuabazar area August 28. Advocate Subhrakant Satpathy was at the railway station at 11.30 pm to see off his relative September 13 when he tried to oppose brutality by Balasore police against an old man, he was also attacked by the police.
Pattanaik was attacked by police following a verbal duel near the Nua Bazaar Bridge. The lawyer, who had sustained critical injuries in the attack, was later admitted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, the High Court Bar Association resorted to cease-work as protest. Judicial work in all the courts in Cuttack including the High Court remained paralysed due to the cease-work. The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has no chairperson or members to run it, Tripathy contended.
The state Home department and the Department of Law and Justice failed to handle the situation. The inaction and failure of the state to address the issue led to violation of the basic human rights of the injured lawyers and litigants including those in prisons, Tripathy alleged.
Tripathy urged the NHRC to investigate these serious cases through a team of the NHRC, direct the state through the DGP, Secretary, Home Affairs and Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, to take action against the police officials and pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the injured lawyers. He also asked the NHRC to ensure that courts continued working and to fill up vacancies in the OHRC and to ensure basic human rights.
PNN
