Patnaik orders administrative probe into police firing case

A day after the killing of a youth in police firing at Chandpur in Nayagarh district, the Odisha government today ordered an administrative inquiry while the state police decided to handover the investiation of the quadruple murder in the area to the Crime Branch.
While rejecting the demand of a judicial probe by Congress, CPI, CPI(M) and Samajwadi Party, Chief minister Naveen Patnaik asked the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), Central, to probe the circumstances under which police opened fire leading to death of one youth.
At least one person was killed and 17 other injured in a clash following the police opening fire on the agitated people who demanded arrest of the culprits involved in the murder of four persons on September 6.

"The RDC would submit his report within a month," a release issued by the Chief Minister's Office said.
In a bid to conduct a transparent investigation, Patnaik also transferred Nayagarh SP Niti Sekhar to the State Police headquarters and appointed Manoranjan Mohanty in his place.
As the police firing incident followed demand to nab the culprits of the quadruple murder, Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjeev Marik asked the crime branch of police to investigate into the case.

"The investigation into the quadruple murder in Shastri Nagar of Chandpur was not effective. That's why the investigation into the case has been handed over to the Crime Branch," the DGP said.

Inspector-in-Charge of Ranpur police station Chandrasekhar Mohanty has been suspended for the delay in investigations into the quadruple murder on September 6, Marik said.
Meanwhile, a fact finding team of the CPI, CPI(M) and samajwadi Party rushed to the spot and condemned the police fitring on the people who protested the police inability to nab the culprits of the September 6 murder case.
"A high level judicial inquiry must be ordered into the police firing on innocent people who had gathered in their bid to get justice at Chandpur yesterday," Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Jaydev Jena told reporters here.