Bhubaneswar: SUM Hospital owner Manoj Nayak, who surrendered at Khandagiri police station 3:30 am Thursday, was arrested and remanded in police custody for two days starting Friday, even as violent protestors gathered in front of the police station and demanded that he be released.
“Nayak reportedly was unwell in court and thus has been sent to jail hospital Thursday night,” said a source. He will be produced in court October 23, said sources.
Twin city police commissioner Yogesh Bahadur Khurania said they have arrested five persons, including Nayak, in connection with the case.
After commissionerate police officials took Nayak to an isolated place for questioning, several people gathered in front of the police station, demanding his release and raising slogans against various media houses claiming they had defamed Nayak. The protestors even tried to vandalise the digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) van of a national news channel parked in front of the police station.
Khandagiri police station inspector-in-charge Sarat Kumar Sahu and other officials escorted the DSNG van from the spot.
Police also resorted to mild lathicharge after the protestors abused and manhandled photo journalists of a news channel. The protestors dispersed after the mild lathicharge. However, some people gathered in front of Khandagiri police station again after a while.
One of the protestors, Biswajeet Jena, who runs a betel shop near SUM Hospital, said his business has taken a hit after the fire tragedy at the hospital. “If the owner of the hospital is arrested it will malign the image of the health centre. Our business will also be affected by this,” he said.
Reporters of TV channels said that after seeing the protestors, they asked the drivers of their DSNG vans not to park the vehicles near the police station. A couple of reporters remained inside the police station for some time fearing violence. The reporters left after Sahu assured them that they would not be attacked.
There are reportedly several miscreants in the city, who are getting paid by influential people to protest when they are in trouble.
Khurania has asserted that police will take stern action against the violent protestors.
Nayak’s surrender came in the wake of a lookout circular being issued against him and his wife Saswati Das in connection with the fire tragedy at the hospital October 17 that claimed 21 lives and injured more than 100.
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