Alleging as a “false” one, the protestors demanded withdrawal of the case against the journalist, suspension and arrest of former Nilagiri police station IIC Draupadi Das and SI Subarna Behera and registration of criminal case against the two, and a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for Dalei.
The committee staged road blockade on the National Highway holding placards and banners which resulted in hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on the both sides of the road.
Educational institutions and emergency services have been excluded from the ambit of the bandh.
The protesters have warned of intensifying the agitation in the case of non-fulfilment of their demands.
Worth mentioning, Draupadi Das and Subarna Behera have been transferred to the Police District Headquarters till the completion of the probe. A Havildar was also suspended in this connection.
On April 7, Nilagiri police had allegedly chained Dalei, reporter of an Odia newspaper daily Sambad and its television channel Kanak News, to a bed while he was undergoing treatment at the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital. Moreover, Das had allegedly thrashed the journalist, following which he fell unconscious.
According to reports, an argument took place between the journalist and Niranjan Rana, a homeguard of the police station, on April 4 at Nilagiri as the vehicles of the two collided in market area. However, the matter was pacified after the intervention of a local.
On April 6, Dalei was informed that the home-guard has lodged a police complaint against him. The reporter was also asked to appear at the Nilagiri police station.
As he reached the police station, Behera snatched his mobile phone under the instruction of Das. As Das assaulted Dalei, he lost his consciousness.
The journalist was then taken to the Nilagiri Hospital and later shifted to the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital for treatment.
His ordeal was far from getting over at the healthcare facility as policemen attached a handcuff around his leg and chained him to a bed of the hospital.
