BJP leader allegedly tortured by police in Puri

Puri: Soumya Ranjan Lenka, BJP's Puri youth wing general secretary has alleged that he was tortured by police after his arrest. Police acted under pressure from the local BJD MLA, alleged BJP's Puri district president Prabhanjan Mohapatra on Thursday.

Mohapatra has threatened that the party will take to streets in coming days and gherao every police station in the State in protest of the incident.

Lenka has further alleged that police illegally took him from his house and beat him severely in the police station. However, police has denied the allegations.

On the other hand, Puri SDJM court has rejected the bail petition of Lenka and has ordered police to provide him with immediate medical treatment.

Chilika Development Authority had earlier carried out extensive eviction of illegal prawn gherries at Krushnaprasad area in Nalaban bird sanctuary. BJP activists had staged demonstration in front of Krushnaprasad police station in protest of arrest of some villagers.

The protest turned violent as police tried to disperse the demonstrators. Sixteen BJP activists including Lenka were arrested following a clash with police.

"BJP activists had a minor clash with the police but they have registered a case under section 307 against 87 activists. Raids were conducted on houses of 16 BJP activists in the middle of the night and they were forwarded to court. Police arrested our district general secretary Soumya Ranjan Lenka late at night and severely thrashed him due to which his leg is broken. He was seen limping while police was taking him away," said Mohapatra.

"He had led the Krushnaprasad police station gherao but today he has been attacked inhumanely. He has sustained injuries on his leg and back of his head. Police has forcibly taken him from his house after misbehaving with him. Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) strongly protests it," said BJP's Puri district vice president Saswat Mohapatra.

"Police thrashed him brutally after his arrest as a result of which he has sustained severe head injuries. He has also sustained severe injuries on his ankle portion due to which he is unable to walk. Therefore the SDJM has ordered that he should be kept under examination of the jail doctor for four days," said Lenka's lawyer Amitabh Mishra.