Odisha Crime Branch takes over probe in Koraput blast case

With several questions raised by the police rank and file over the killing of its eight personnel in landmine explosion in Koraput district, Odisha government today rushed a team of Crime Branch officials to probe the incident.
The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has also sought a report within two weeks from the Secretary, Home and the Director General of Police (DGP) on whether the standard operating procedures were followed during the force's movement in the Maoist-hit area bordering Andhra Pradesh.
The state government ordered a Crime Branch probe into the landmine blast suspected to have been triggered by Maoists, after the Odisha Police Constable, Havildar and Sepoy Mahasangha raised question on the SOP.

Mahasangha president Prasant Mohapatra alleged the senior police officers did not follow the SOP. He said the force movement should be done using private vehicles in order to avoid Maoist attack as per the provision of the SOP. However, this provision was not applied when the senior officers decided to take the newly-recruited drivers for training to Angul via Cuttack, Mohapatra alleged.
The Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Division of the Crime Branch would investigate the incident, said Crime Branch Special DG BK Sharma, adding that a four-member team headed by a DSP-ranked officer has left for the accident site to probe into the tragedy.

"The CB team headed by DSP P K Mishra will probe the matter and verify the kind of explosives used in the blast, whether SOP was maintained and other aspects. The team would be accompanied by forensic expert team. Statements of eyewitnesses and blast survivors would be recorded," Sharma said.

Earlier, the Home department had rushed Inspector General (Operations) R P Koche, Intelligence Director Sunil Roy and DIG S Shyni to the spot of accident where 8 personnel were killed and five others suffered injuries. The incident took place at Sunki ghat while 13 assistant drivers and driver havildar were travelling in a police vehicle towards Angul to attend a training programme.

Though two days have already passed since the landmine explosion, the Maoists have so far not made any claim, which is considered as contrary to their style of functioning.
Meanwhile, the OHRC today admitted petitions on the Sunki Ghat landmine incident. Pradipta Nayak, a Human Rights defender and Chandranath Dani, Advocate and HR defender, Bhubaneswar presented a petition before the Commission drawing its attention to the tragic death of police constables on February 1.
The petitioner alleged that due of non-adherence to Standard Operating Procedure in the matter of movement of unarmed police personnel in a Maoist prone area such an unfortunate incident took place.