Police-Lawyer Spat: Bar associations to continue stir till September 12

Cuttack: Intensifying their protest over police excess on a lawyer in Cuttack recently, the members of all Bar Associations in the state today declared to continue with their stir till September 12 to press government to take stringent action against the guilty cops.

The decision to continue with the strike was taken at a meeting of Odisha High Court Bar Association which was held here today. The meeting which was attended by Presidents and Secretaries of different bar associations across the state also passed a resolution to constitute a committee to meet the Odisha CM, Law Minister and Chief Justice of Odisha High Court on the issue.

The Orissa High Court on September 4 ordered a Crime Branch probe into the August 28 scuffle between a group of policemen and a lawyer at Nua Bazaar bridge in the city which sparked a widespread concern among the Bar Associaions in the Twin City and later spread to other parts of the state.

Hearing two petitions filed by Orissa High Court Bar Association and Nationalist Lawyers’ Association in which both the bodies have prayed for a judicial inquiry and stringent action on the accused policemen, the court told CB to make a thorough inquiry into the incident and submit a detailed report.

Notably, the Commissionerate Police has suspended all three accused cops of Chauliaganj Police Station involved in the attack identified as Constables BK Samal and UK Bhuyan and Havildar PK Behera.

On August 30, both the Bar Associations in the Twin City held separate protests against the police excess during which road blockades were also held.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 10.

Also Read: Police-Lawyer Spat: HC orders Crime Branch probe into August 28 incident