Stain on khaki: Two inspectors shunted out

JAGATSINGHPUR: In what could be an embarrassment for the police community, two officers of Jagatsinghpur district were shunted out of their place of postings after their conduct and integrity came under scanner.

One of them, Inspector in charge of Raghunathpur police station was caught on camera accepting bribe from an accused in a dowry case. The officer, Niranjan Mallick was on Friday transferred to the district police headquarters after his video accepting bribe to omit the names of accused in a dowry torture case, went viral on social media. 

Jagatsinghpur SP Prakash R basing on an inquiry report submitted by Tirtol SDPO Deepak Kumar Jena took the action. The dowry case pertains to one Bikram Rout who was accused of torturing his wife, Arpita Das as her parents failed to pay a dowry of  `2 lakh. 

It was alleged that Arpita was tortured physically and mentally by Bikram and his parents after they got married in March last year. In June last year, Arpita’s brother Biswaranjan, uncle Ajaya and another relative were assaulted by her in-laws when they tried to intervene in the matter.

Arpita lodged an FIR at Raghunathpur police station against Bikram, his father Muralidhar Rout and others. However, the accused with the help of a sarpanch bribed Mallick for omitting their names from the FIR. The video of the IIC accepting the bribe went viral on social media following which the SDPO was asked to conduct a departmental probe into the issue. Mallick was prima facie found guilty and transferred to the district police headquarters. 

In the other incident, Tirtol IIC Krishnaprasad Mishra was transferred to Energy police station after a home guard posted as driver at the police station under him was arrested for his links with the notorious Dhalasamanta brothers.

The home guard, Smruti Ranjan Das, was recently arrested by Commissionerate Police for his role as a gun runner for the D-brothers. While law and order situation has been a concern in the district, the role of a policeman in supplying fire-arms to criminals raised issues of criminal-police nexus. 

Nine persons including the home guard from Jagatsinghpur were arrested by Commissionerate Police which seized six pistols, 33 live ammunition and an Innova from their possession.