A young man in Odisha’s Subarnapur district died Thursday, after suspected police brutality for allegedly throwing eggs and stones during Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s roadshow ahead of the second phase elections on April 18. Witnesses on Friday claimed the deceased Niranjan Sahoo and others had been detained by the police on April 15. “He belonged to Phatamunda village (Subarnapur district). He came to see the CM’s roadshow on April 15. Police beat him mercilessly. I have seen it with my own eyes”, said former Janata Dal MP Balgopal Mishra, who is currently with the BJP. “He was brought dead here. A post-mortem will reveal all details”, said a doctor in the Dunguripalli Community Health Centre (CHC). “He came to Dunguripalli CHC with his brother Nakula Sahoo. We registered a UD (unnatural death) case. Doctors gave intimation to the police, saying they suspected death due to heat wave. His body has been handed to the family”, said Subarnapur SP Debi Prasad Dash Calling the death “a political murder at the behest of the ruling party”, BJP has accused that the youth was killed due to police brutality and has also alleged that the doctors in the hospital helped in the cover-up. BJP Vice President Sameer Mohanty asked whether there is no right to protest in a democracy.
