BHUBANESWAR: The Lone legislator of the Orissa Communist Party (OCP) in the Orissa Legislative Assembly, Radha Kanta Sethy, has alleged that he was “mercilessly” beaten up by the police and subsequently denied medical attention.

Sethy, who was released on bail recently, after a 20-day detention in the Choudwar jail told newspersons here that policemen led by the officer-in-charge of the Pattamundai police station, Santosh Mohanty, rained about 60 lathi blows on him “threatening me not to shout in the Assembly.”

Displaying to newspersons the marks of lathi blows almost all over his body, including six stitches on his left leg, he said, “it was an attempt to silence me, but the people whom I represent will retaliate at the proper time.”

On August 26, the OCP staged a demonstration in Pattamundai, Sethy’s constituency, to protest against “police inaction” in connection with a murder. They were soon asked to switch off the mikes.

This led to tension and the police allegedly started beating the demonstrators and a few blows landed on my back,” Sethy recalled saying that he did not address the gathering.

Even as the injury was being attended to al a nearby hospital, the sub-divisional police officer, Kendrapara, the tehsildar and the officer-in-charge of the local station barged in, he alleged,

Sensing trouble a few of the MLA’s supporters preset with him closed the door, but the policemen broke through and started an “unprovoked assault.”

Sethy alleged that he was made to walk in the police station even though “I was not even in a position to stand” and more blows came down on him, About a dozen youths who were with him were also thrashed mercilessly and all were arrested.

The OCP MLA alleged that no medical attention was given to him that night. Next morning they were taken to Kendrapara where the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate also did not accept his request for immediate medical relief. They were then sent to the Choudwar jail.

Stating that he had written a letter to Speaker Yudhistir Das on August 29 from the jail, he said on September 9 two doctors were deputed from the SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack to examine them,

Had I been a criminal or an antisocial i would not have been subjected to such thrashing and humiliation,” Sethy said, adding, “there is no point banging your head against a wall, if the Government felt that I was at fault at any lime it was free to institute a judicial probe.”

Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1992