Bhubaneswar: Banapur police have arrested two people in connection with the death of Tofan Nayak Tuesday, after registering a case based on a complaint filed by his family, sources said.
According to the family members, Tofan, a married man with two daughters and a son, earned a living by harvesting coconuts. On Sunday, he had reportedly gone to a villager’s house in Bhimpur village in search of work and knocked on the door.
The family alleged that the residents accused him of being a child-lifter, tied him up and “assaulted” him.
CCTV footage of the alleged mob assault has surfaced online. However, Orissa POST could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage.
The family claimed Banapur police later rescued Tofan from the villagers and took him to the police station. They alleged that police called Tofan’s mother to the station around 10 pm Sunday, where she found him “unconscious”.
According to the family, “police initially asked them to take Tofan home. When they refused, citing his unconscious condition, police shifted him to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar, where doctors declared him dead”.
The family and supporters staged a protest at the hospital, alleging that Tofan died due to “police assault” after noticing injury marks on his body. They demanded an impartial investigation and strict action against the police personnel if found responsible.
Khordha Superintendent of Police Parmar Smit Parshottamdas denied the custodial torture allegations.
“Tofan was brought to Banapur police station after a call to the 112 emergency helpline regarding a theft. His family was informed soon after his detention. They arrived at the police station and took him home after submitting a declaration stating that he was in good health. There was no third-degree torture in this case,” the SP said.
He added that further action would be taken in accordance with the autopsy report.