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Three police personnel were suspended, and one IPS officer was shifted from his place of posting on Monday (June 1, 2026) after a man died after allegedly facing custodial torture in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
The alleged custodial death occurred at the Kabisuryanagar police station. According to Mamajini Pradhan, the wife of Susant Sahu, her husband was picked up from their house on May 25, 2026, along with another individual, Ishwar Sahu. Their arrest was reportedly made in connection with a stone blasting case.
“The two persons, including my husband, were not produced in court after their arrest. They were subjected to excessive physical torture. On Sunday (May 31, 2026), my father-in-law and brother-in-law were asked to take my husband from the police station. We were also threatened that if we did not comply, cases would be filed against us,” said Ms. Pradhan.
She said the police forcibly took signature on a blank paper. “We first admitted my husband in Aska Sub-divisional hospital. When his condition worsened, he was rushed to MKCG Hospital, Berhampur where doctors declared him dead on the intervening night of May 31 and June 1,” said Ms. Pradhan.
She demanded that a thorough investigation be conducted by examining CCTV footage of the police station from May 25 to May 31 and Nitesh Kumar Mishra, a newly appointed IPS officer, be brought under the purview of the probe .
A preliminary inquiry was carried out on the allegations of custodial torture. Inspector-General of Southern Range transferred IPS officer Nitesh Kumar Mishra to police district headquarters. Sub-inspector Sameer Kumar Rout, Assistant Sub-Inspector Baikuntha Jena and constable Suman Kumar Sahu were suspended.
Similarly, all personnel of the Kabisuryanagar police station and the Balichhai police outpost were transferred from their respective posts. Director General of Police Y. B. Khurania ordered that the alleged custodial torture be investigated by the Human Rights Protection Cell of the Odisha Police.
The Odisha Police have faced widespread condemnation over allegations of custodial torture. Recently, villagers blocked the busy Baranga-Tirsulia road in protest against the alleged brutality by personnel of the Baranga Police Station. Subsequently, the Inspector-in-Charge of the Baranga police station was transferred. There have also been reports of another instance of custodial torture in Cuttack district.
Meanwhile, the Biju Janata Dal alleged a sharp increase in custodial torture cases in Odisha. Citing a Parliamentary reply, the party pointed out that nine cases of custodial deaths were reported between 2025 and March 15, 2026, which equals the total number of custodial deaths reported over the preceding four years—2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25 combined.
Published – June 02, 2026 01:40 am IST
