By Our Correspondent
BERHAMPUR:Dr. Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi, MP from Berhampur, has expressed deep concern over the suspicious death of disabled daily wage worker Sushant Sahu of Subalya village due to police torture at Kavisuryanagar police station in Ganjam district. He has sent a memorandum to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, requesting him to take immediate legal action in this inhumane incident and provide justice to the aggrieved family.
MP Dr. Panigrahi said in his statement that on May 25, the police took Sushant to the police station without any specific evidence and illegally detained him for seven days. According to the family members, despite being a physically disabled person, the police brutally beat him up and subjected him to ‘third degree’ torture by pouring hot water on him, which is highly condemnable and a gross violation of human rights. His death at the MKCG Medical College in Berhampur after he was taken away in a critical condition has shaken the entire civil society.
In this critical matter, the MPs have presented the following demands to the Hon’ble Chief Minister:
*Strict action and arrest:* Not content with just suspension or transfer, cases of custodial torture should be registered against the concerned IPS (trainee), SI and other concerned police personnel under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and they should be arrested immediately.
*Time-bound HRPC Investigation*: The Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) investigation directed by the Hon’ble DGP should be completed in a transparent manner and within a specific time frame, so that there is no risk of any evidence being destroyed.
*Financial Assistance and Rehabilitation:* The deceased Sushant Sahu was the only earning member of his family. Therefore, his widowed wife Mamjina Pradhan and the family should be provided with immediate financial compensation and livelihood assistance from the government.
*Police Reforms*: The government should issue a strict Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all police stations on how the police should treat people with disabilities (PwD) in a sensitive and humane manner.
MP Dr. Panigrahi expressed his strong hope that the sensitive Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi will take this incident seriously and provide justice to the family of a poor, helpless disabled person and punish the guilty officials who are ‘pretending to be law enforcers’ with strict punishment.
