Lawyers, cops clash in city

BHUBANESWAR: Tension ran high at Kalpana Square here on Monday following a face-off between some lawyers and police. The lawyers were agitating, alleging police brutality on a lawyer.
Trouble erupted when the police were trying to lift a road blockade by lawyers. An altercation took a violent turn as a mob torched a police van and damaged another. The lawyers said the vehicle was set afire by anti-socials.
The lawyers demanded action against some police personnel, who allegedly attacked their colleague Nihar Ranjan Sethi on Wednesday night. "Police brutally assaulted our colleague when he was returning home late night. We do not know why police beat him. He is in hospital," said Bhubaneswar Bar Association president Tusarkant Mohapatra. "If police do not take action against the errant cops, we will intensify our agitation," Mohapatra said.
Twin cities commissioner of police R P Sharma and DCP Nitinjeet Singh met a delegation of lawyers and assured it to look into the issue. "A team of police officers, led by an officer in the rank of additional DCP, is inquiring into the allegation of police assault. We will complete the investigation in 48 hours. If any cop is found guilty, we will take action," Sharma said.
Prima facie, police denied Sethi was assaulted. "Our personnel found him lying in a semi-conscious stage near Rasulgarh. He was rescued and admitted to hospital," said a police officer. While police claimed Sethi met with an accident because he was in an inebriated condition, lawyers rubbished the police version. "We want police to make an impartial probe and bring the true picture before the public," said member of Odisha State Bar Council Bibhu Prasad Tripathy.
Police said they would take action against lawyers if their complicity in the violence is established. "We have video clips and would examine them," the police officer said.
Movement of vehicles on Bhubaneswar-Puri NH-203 was affected from 2 pm to 7 pm because of the tension. Police failed to produce some of the accused in court as lawyers prevented them from reaching the court.