E-Paper
Odisha DGP suspends inspector over immolation of 55-yr-old outside police station
Odisha director general of police Sunil Bansal suspended Sasmita Rana, inspector of Kishannagar police station, four days after Gunanidhi Bisoi succumbed to injuries that he suffered after immolating himself protesting against police inaction
The Odisha police on Tuesday suspended a police inspector on charges of dereliction of duty, four days after a 55-year-old man, who had immolated himself outside the police station, succumbed to his burn injuries.
The man had been protesting police inaction over a case of assault.
Odisha director general of police Sunil Bansal suspended Sasmita Rana, inspector of Kishannagar police station, four days after Gunanidhi Bisoi of Sainporuan village in Cuttack district succumbed to injuries that he suffered after immolating himself protesting against police inaction over his nephew assaulting him.
On Thursday at about 11.30 am, Bisoi poured petrol over his body and set himself on fire before the main gate of the Kishannagar police station. However, before he could be rescued and admitted in a hospital, he suffered major burn injuries. Bisoi died on Friday, a day after he immolated himself.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the case, the Odisha Human Rights Commission sought a report from the DGP asking him to submit a report before the next hearing on July 25.
In his report, Cuttack superintendent of police B Jugal Kishore said that on June 19, Bisoi had gone to Kishannagar police station to lodge a complaint against his nephew and others alleging that they had assaulted him over some property dispute resulting in a head injury. Though Bisoi suffered a severe head injury, the inspector did not pay any attention to his complaint.
A counter FIR was also lodged on the same day against Bisoi by his nephew Sagar Bisoi. Sagar Bisoi was later arrested.
Though offences in both the cases were cognizable, the inspector neither paid any attention not enquired into the matter personally or asked any officer of her police station to probe it.
Last month, a 28-year-old man of Ganjam district, had also immolated himself near the office of the SP over his failure in getting a patient hearing from the police. Badal Sahu of Borigaon village in Ganjam died a day after he immolated himself. He was protesting against his family being ostracised in their village over some dispute for more than eight years.
Sahu had approached the local police several times but did not get any response. He then went to the SP’s office, but as the SP was not available and the other police personnel did not pay any attention to his complaint, he immolated himself.
