Opposition asks Odisha Home Minister to quit over custodial deaths

BHUBANESWAR: Opposition BJP and Congress members came down heavily on the State government in the Assembly on Tuesday over the alleged custodial deaths and torture of six persons in a police station. 

They demanded resignation of Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra. The issue cropped up during discussion on an adjournment motion brought by the Opposition members. 

Deputy leader of the Congress Legislature Party Santosh Singh Saluja said that the minister should immediately resign as such incidents are a pointer to the fact that situation has gone beyond control in the State.

Former SP of Puri Akhileswar Singh and IIC of the police station should be booked under section 302 of the India Penal Code, he said.

Opposition chief whip and BJP leader Mohan Majhi demanded a judicial probe by a sitting judge of the Orissa HC into both the incidents of alleged custodial deaths at Puri and Biramitrapur in Sundargarh district. 

The Minister, however, dismissed Opposition allegations. He said that the government has ordered judicial probe into two custodial death allegations. 

He said that the SDJM of Panposh and the first class judicial magistrate of Puri will investigate the deaths at Biramitrapur police station in Sundergarh district and Baseli Sahi police station in Puri town respectively.