Power abuse charge against cops

Bhubaneswar: Police officials often indulge in the misuse of the power, if a recent incident of a man from the Capital city becoming the soft target of the cops is any indication.

In an appalling example of such blatant power abuse, the family members of a youth, Mathuri Parida, have accused Airfield police officials of implicating him in several false cases.

If sources are to be believed, the investigating officer, who misbehaved with the victim’s elder brother at the police station, was immediately shifted from the Airfield police station as soon as Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Umashankar Dash learnt about the issue.

Mathuri, a resident of Airfield area, had a tiff with one of his friends, Ashis Kumar Mishra, in September 2020. Mishra had lodged a complaint with Airfield police who registered a case under different sections of IPC including 307. However, both the parties arrived at an amicable settlement after the villagers’ intervention and requested the police to withdraw the complaint.

This reportedly irked the then IIC of Airfield police station, Deepak Kumar Mishra, who chided both the parties for wasting the time of police.

Mathuri’s advocate alleged that the IIC, who was acquiesced to release Mathuri following the compromise, later instructed the staff to file a false case against Mathuri accusing him of fleeing police custody.

The IIC also allegedly filed another case on the basis of the complaint filed by Mishra. Subsequently, when both the parties learnt about the filing of a false case, they moved SDJM court to carry out a legal compromise agreement in the presence of the Judge February 4, 2021.

Meanwhile, in another incident one Silu Rout of the same village who had gone to a betel shop near Mathuri’s residence was allegedly assaulted by the betel shop owner and his friends under the influence of alcohol November 8, 2020.

Mathuri’s elder brother Bidyadhar saved Silu from the clutches of the attackers and took him to the police station. The police asked him to take Silu to Capital hospital for treatment and he could file a complaint later.
Bidyadhar alleged that some of the attackers have a close relationship with another staff of the same police station as they arranged a plot for the official near their village.

He also claimed that the police officials informed the attackers and advised them to file a complaint against Silu and Bidyadhar before they did so. Silu also lodged a complaint against the attackers later during the night. However, instead of taking any action against the attackers, police arrested Silu and Bidyadhar.

Upon release from jail, Silu lodged petitions before the Odisha Human Rights Commission, Commissioner of Police, and DCP Bhubaneswar over the alleged injustice by the Airfield police. This further infuriated the police, who, in order to teach Bidyadhar a lesson, arrested Mathuri June 2 night.

The cops also allegedly misbehaved with Bidyadhar when he informed them about the compromise in the court.
Speaking to Orissa POST, the incumbent IIC, Radhakanta Sahu, denied the allegations and said, “A couple of cases are pending against Mathuri and we are unaware of any compromise between the parties.”

PNN