Bhubaneswar: Attack on cops inside police station exposes 'lawlessness' in Smart City

BHUBANESWAR: Some hooligans assaulting policemen inside the Saheed Nagar police station here on Sunday night, vandalising the place and then escaping from the clutches of police have not only exposed lawlessness in the the Smart City but also questioned the efficacy of the commissionerate police in controlling crime. Till filing of the report on Monday night, not a single accused had been arrested in connection with the audacious attack on the police station and its personnel.
Four police personnel, including inspector-in-charge (IIC) Biranchi Pati and assistant sub-inspector Abhaya Rout, who have joined the police station only a week ago, sustained injuries.Rout suffered serious head injuries and had six stitches on his head. “We have identified the attackers. They will be arrested,” said commissioner of police Satyajit Mohanty, who recently instructed all police stations to launch a special drive against anti-socials ahead of the elections.
All hell broke loose around 12 midnight when a group of 10 miscreants barged into the Saheed Nagar police station and attempted to beat three other persons, who are their rivals and were in police custody. Police said the people from both sides had a fight over a road accident in VSS Nagar. Police had brought the three persons to the police station for interrogation.
“I was the diary in-charge officer during the night. The three persons were in my custody. Suddenly people from the rival group led by a local resident Prakash Tripathy barged into the police station. Identifying himself as a ruling BJD leader, Tripathy asked me to hand over the three persons to him so that his supporters would beat them up. When I refused, his supporters went on the rampage, ransacked the police station and smashed my head with a stone,” Rout said.
Hearing the commotion, three other police personnel, including the IIC came out of their chambers and tried to placate the mob. But the attackers assaulted them and fled. The attack on the police inside the police station is something that has never happened in the last 11 years of the commissionerate police system. It gave an opportunity to the opposition to corner the ruling BJD. “We are concerned about the safety of common people after the attack on police. The incident did not take place in any remote rural area. We never expected that the protectors would one day need protection inside the police station. The attack was masterminded by a BJD goon,” said BJP spokesperson Samir Mohanty.
Congress slammed chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who is in-charge of home department, over the alleged involvement of a BJD worker in the attack. BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said the police are investigating the matter. Action will be taken against those involved in the case, Patra said.