Police order probe into handcuffing of undertrial in Odisha

The Kandhamal police have ordered a probe into the handcuffing of an undertrial and making him walk for over a kilometre, in a gross violation of the Supreme Court order restricting police from using handcuffs in a routine manner.

Kandhamal SP Mitrabhanu Mahapatra told HT that he has ordered a probe to find out why 30-year-old undertrial Chitrasen Mallik was made to walk handcuffed on Tuesday from Phulbani jail to the bus stand by four constables who then took him to a court in Baliguda block in a bus.

The apex court in its judgment in Prem Shankar Shukla Vs Delhi Administration in 1980 had directed the police not to use handcuffs in a routine manner.

In October last year, Mallik was arrested on charges of trading illicit liquor. He was supposed to be produced before a court in Baliguda block, 80 km from Phulbani jail, where he was lodged. The SP said there was no reason why the undertrail was made to walk in handcuffs when there was a provision of a vehicle.

In May 2013, Bhubaneswar Police had stirred a controversy after they handcuffed Odisha Jana Morcha secretary general Jagneswar Babu, a former member of Biju Janata Dal, while bringing him to a vigilance court.

The police had to unlock the cuffs following protests from lawyers present in the court. In April last year, the Odisha Human Rights Commission had slammed the police for handcuffing an undertrial while he was under treatment at Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar.