Bhubaneswar: Director General of Police (DGP) Sunil Bansal today suspended Tapan Kumar Nahak, the former Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Phiringia Police Station in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, for his alleged involvement in ganja smuggling.

Nahak was earlier shifted from Phiringia Police Station to the district police headquarters by Kandhamal Superintendent of Police (SP) Suvendu Kumar Patra.

Besides, two home guards—Prashant Patra and Rabi Digal—were relieved from their work over the same allegation.

Hundreds of villagers had set Phiringia police station on fire and assaulted a police officer in connection with the alleged involvement of some cops in illegal ganja trade on August 5.

The mob also torched a police vehicle and set several tonnes of seized ganja on fire, sources said.

The police had booked as many as 40 people in connection with the arson. They had also nabbed 19 accused, including the mastermind of the incident, by conducting a series of raids in the locality on August 6.