‘Lady don’ Saila released from Jharpada jail

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Nov 10:

Saila Ranasingh, who has earned the sobriquet of the Lady Don of Haldipadia slum in the Odisha capital was released from Jharpada jail today.

Saila who was in Jharpada jail for the last five months was granted conditional bail by the SDJM court, Khordha yesterday. Saila was arrested for making murderous assault on Laxmi Sagar police.

The court has ordered Saila to present herself at the Laxmi Sagar police station every Sunday. It has further ordered her not to get involved in any criminal activity at least for two years.

It may be recalled here that Laxmi Sagar police had visited Haladipadia slum on June 8 after being informed that Saila and her associates were thrashing a youth mercilessly after tying him to a pillar. However, Saila and her associates attacked the policemen instead. Saila and her associates chased and thrashed the policemen black and blue.

Among the five policemen thrashed by the slum dwellers were inspector-in-charge (IIC) of the Laxmisagar police station Rajat Ray and Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Ashok Hansda.

Reports said the control room of the Commissionerate police headquarters received a complaint at about 5:15 pm on June 8 that a person named Santosh had been tied up and was being thrashed by a group of people in the basti. Acting on the information, the control room directed two patrolling vans to reach the spot and investigate the matter.

After reaching the basti, the cops found that Santosh was tied to a pillar. All hell broke loose when the policemen tried to rescue the person and the crowd, with a sizeable number of women in it, pouncing on the hapless cops.

Not satisfied with bashing up the cops, the mob threw a couple of them into a drain.

The fury of the slum dwellers fell on the policemen like a ton of bricks when ASI Hansda slapped a woman during the brawl.

Armed with sticks, bricks and stones, the basti dwellers attacked the cops, leaving five policemen injured. The cops who sustained injuries, however, managed to escape to the police station.

IIC Rajat Ray reached the spot after getting the information. He tried to pacify the agitators but the angry mob was in no mood to listen. Tempers flared up again after one of the injured ASIs allegedly manhandled a youth.

Police after tracking Saila’s mobile phone arrested her from her hideout in Soro on June 18.  Eleven persons were arrested in the case.