A 28-year-old man from Odisha’s Jajpur district is battling for his life after he allegedly attempted suicide by consuming poison, following what he claimed was torture in police custody.
The man, Rabindra Mallik, hails from Mahipur village in Barachana block and is currently being treated in critical condition at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
Rabindra has alleged that he was stripped and beaten by police officers while being held at Balichandrapur police station, which pushed him to the point of attempting suicide. “I was tortured, stripped naked, and not even allowed to meet my family. Unable to bear the humiliation, I drank poison,” he reportedly told his relatives.
The case began after a clash between Rabindra and his cousin Badal. According to a complaint, Badal had allegedly attacked Rabindra’s physically challenged father Maheswar and a neighbour with a sword. Rabindra, in response, threw hot water on Badal to defend his father. Later, both cousins filed police complaints against each other.
Acting on Badal’s complaint, police picked up Rabindra from his home and brought him to the station for questioning. It was during this time that Rabindra claims he was assaulted and kept incommunicado.
According to the complaint filed by his family, Rabindra consumed poison that had allegedly been left inside the lock-up by a police officer. “He drank the poison in front of the police, and no one stopped him,” the family claimed.
What has angered the family even more is the delay in communication. “We were not even told that he had been hospitalised. We found out three days later, and only after pleading with the police were we taken to see him,” said Maheswar Mallik, Rabindra’s father.
“From the day Rabindra was picked up, we kept requesting to meet him. But the police didn’t allow us. We were finally taken to the hospital on Tuesday night,” Maheswar added. “My son was brutally assaulted by the police. He was lying in the hospital critically ill, and we were kept in the dark.”
However, police officials have denied all allegations. Inspector-in-Charge of Balichandrapur police station, Samarjit Nayak, said, “Rabindra Mallik was not assaulted. He was admitted to the hospital after he suddenly fell ill while at the station.”
