Police grills Sura Baba, sons; arrest anytime now

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Aug 31, 2015 at 11:06 AM Updated On : Aug 31, 2015 at 4:28 PM

Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, Aug 31:

A three-member team of Commissionerate police led by DCP Satybrata Bhoi is interrogating Sura Baba alias Surendra Mishra, the head of the Trahi Achyuta ashram at Jhiinti sasan on the outskirts of the Odisha capital, and his two sons – Trilochan Mishra and Biranchi Narayan Mishra – who were detained at 2.30 am today.

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They were detained by police in the wee hours on the basis of an FIR lodged by activist Jayanta Kumar Bhoi and brought to the commissionerate police headquarters here for interrogation this morning.

Briefing newsmen here today, police commissioner RP Sharma said the police have seized two air guns and three 9 mm live bullets from inside the ashram premises. On the basis of the seizure of the arms and ammunition, police have registered a case under section 25 of the Arms Act.

Talking about the seizure of two guns from the ashram premises, Sharma said “We will these two guns to be examined by the ballistic experts to determine their bore size.”

He also informed that three special teams have been formed to probe into incident. “We have formed a search operation team to nab the other accused, an interrogation team to grill the accused and a fact-finding team to know about the complaints from the people,” Sharma said.

To a question about the police action, the police commissioner said 11 people have been detained for indulging in vandalism in the ashram and attacking some women of the ashram last night.

“No one is above the law. One must respect the law,” he added.

A case has been registered against them under sections 312, 294 and 506 of IPC and Section 3 of the ST, SC (Prevention of atrocities) Act, commissionerate police sources said.

The Baba and his sons will be interrogated on the allegations made in the FIR lodged by Bhoi at the Balipatna police station late on Sunday night, the sources said.

The four persons named in the FIR as being forcibly taken in and tortured by the Baba’s followers and ashram inmates during the violent protest yesterday will also be questioned, the sources added.

The Baba and his sons could be arrested after their questioning is over, commissionerate police sources said.