Odisha Police accuses Chhattisgarh counterparts for 'abduction' of two locals from Koraput district

Bilaspur: The Odisha Police on Friday told the Chhattisgarh High Court here that two men from the coastal state were ‘abducted’ by police from Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district for allegedly being Naxals.

The accusation came in response to a petition filed by relatives of the two men before the high court seeking enquiry, the petitioners’ lawyer Satish Chandra Verma said.

The Odisha Police said in their affidavit filed on Friday that Niranjan Dash and Durjoti Mahankudo were picked up illegally from Kotpad police station area in Koraput district by a team of police from Nagarnar in Bastar on 26 June 2016.

The affidavit has been signed by Nirod Kumar Nayak, a police officer attached to Kotpad police station.

Chhattisgarh police entered Koraput district without giving any intimation to local cops, and arrested the two men after accusing them of being Naxals, the reply said.

When their family members approached a court in Koraput, it directed the Odisha Police to probe the matter.

The relatives of the two men also moved the Supreme Court, which asked them to approach the Chhattisgarh High Court.

During an earlier hearing, the high court had sought reply from Odisha Police.

Odisha Police also said in the reply that the matter should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency for a free and fair probe.

The next hearing would take place after two weeks.