Lawyer killed, many injured in police firing

BHUBANESWAR - A lawyer was killed and over a dozen people injured Monday when police opened fire to disperse villagers protesting the death of a youth in Orissa’s Cuttack district. The government has ordered a crime branch probe into the police firing.

Lawyer Bishnu Das, 35, was killed and more than a dozen people were injured after police opened fire to disperse villagers near Bagalpur village, some 20 km from here.

The police resorted to firing and baton charge after thousands of people blocked the road and refused to move despite warnings.

“The police opened fire after protesters attacked them and pelted stones. Several police and government officials, including the local superintendent of police, were injured,” Inspector General of Police (central range) Lalit Das told IANS.

According to villagers, a local youth was found dead near the village road Aug 19. While villagers said he was murdered, the trouble started when police claimed the youth died in an accident.

The crime branch of the state police has been asked to probe the police firing incident. The government has also announced a compensation of Rs.one lakh ex-gratia for next of kin of the victim, district collector Kishor Mohanty told reporters.

Condemning the death in police firing, lawyers staged a protest in the district head quarters of Cuttack and at state capital Bhubaneswar.