Advocate fails to appear before IGP

The advocate who was allegedly assaulted by some policemen here on August 28 triggering the ongoing month-long lawyer agitation in the state, did not appear before the crime branch IGP Arun Bothra on Saturday, officials said.

Advocate Devi Prasanna Patnaik has sought for some more time to respond to the summon notice as he is unwell, they said.

"The advocate is named as accused in at least three FIRs. He was summoned for questioning on the day. Since he is unwell and has sought for some more time, we will allow him the time," said IGP Arun Bothra, who has been entrusted by the Supreme Court to investigate into all the four FIRs registered soon after the unsavoury incident.

The IGP, after taking up the FIRs for investigations on September 29, has already examined all the named accused persons in the four FIRs but not the advocate, who is also the complainant of one of the FIRs.

Adjudicating over a PIL that has sought for a Judicial Enquiry into the incident, the Orissa High court is also monitoring the investigations of the FIRs.