Dalits gherao DCP office to protest police atrocity

Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, Apr 28:

Hundreds of people belonging to dalit community of the city, under the banner of National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NCDO), gheraoed the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) this evening to demand stringent action against the Chandaka ASI Patnaik for assaulting a dalit of Gangapatna village in Odisha’s Khurda district on April 23.

The state president of NCDO Ashok Kumar Mallick, while accusing the city police of gross indifference and negligence over a number of incidents of attacks on dalits, said today’s protest action was to demand the arrest of the ASI who assaulted and tortured a young dalit Saroj Dehury of Gangapatna on April 23 after accusing him falsely of sending lewd messages to a girl. Dehury was not spared even though he pleaded innocence in the matter .
Mallick said the concerned ASI even demanded Rs 1100 from Dehury to set him free.

The NCDO leader further said seven cases of atrocities on dalits had been registered at the Airfield police station including a recent one on April 22 in which some ruffians assaulted a dalit woman Mamata Mallick of Airfield area and rued that no action has been taken against the culprits so far.

There are many other cases, he said, such as attacks on dalit women Sukanti Behera of Khandagiri and Gouri Dei of Lingaraj area, which were reported immediately to the police but no action had been taken.

“We will not tolerate such indifference any longer, “ Mallick said, adding, the NCDO will not be satisfied until ASI Patnaik is taken to task and a departmental inquiry instituted against him and other police personnel for their gross negligence in their duty.

The NCDO submitted a memorandum to the twin city Commissioner Dr R P Sharma as well as city DCP Nitinjeet Singh today demanding appropriate action.

Responding to the NCDO appeal, the Twin City Police Commissioner has directed the Additional DCP B N Dandpat to submit an inquiry report within one week on these cases of attacks on dalits and ordered a departmental inquiry against the Chandaka ASI.