Bhadrak: Tension ran high at the Aradi Police Station in Bhadrak district on Monday afternoon after an irate mob of Pahana villagers ransacked the police station and severely thrashed a constable on duty over the death of a fellow villager at the district headquarters hospital in the morning.
Following information, a team of police led by the Bhadrak SDPO rushed to the police station to take stock of the situation. The situation returned to normal after the SDPO assured the villagers of a magisterial investigation into the death of the villager.
Notably, police had arrested Debadatta Barik of Pahana village on the charge of stealing valuables from the hundi inside the Akhandalamani Shiva temple recently.
Barik, who was remanded to the Bhadrak Special Sub Jail on February 23, complained of uneasiness on Monday. He was taken to the doctor inside the jail for a check-up. On the advice of the doctor, the jail staff took him to the district headquarters hospital where the doctors gave him medicines after a check-up. But he died soon thereafter.
Following his death, tension ran high in Pahana village. Alleging that Barik was beaten to death by the police, irate villagers rushed to Aradi Police Station and attacked a constable on duty. They also damaged two bikes inside the police station premises.
Criticising the police, former DGP SN Tiwari said it was the failure of the police as it failed to collect local information about the tension in the village. “Had the police become aware of the situation, the incident could have been averted,” he pointed out.
Referring to the death of the UTP, he said jail authorities should have arranged an ambulance van to admit the UTP to the district headquarters hospital. “Instead they took him to the hospital on foot which they should not have done,” he added.