Oppn, BJP trade barbs over custodial violence

Bhubaneswar: The alleged custodial death of a detainee at Kabisurya Nagar police station in Ganjam district has triggered a blame game, with opposition parties accusing the police of running a “reign of goondaraj” at the behest of the govt. BJP dismissed the allegations, insisting that the govt has acted swiftly against errant personnel.“At a time when an NHRC team is in Bhubaneswar to probe the recent mob lynching of a constable in the presence of some cops, the Kabisurya Nagar custodial death followed by the Baranga custodial torture incident clearly exposes the goondaraj and misconduct of Odisha police,” BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty told journalists.Citing a Lok Sabha reply, the BJD highlighted that custodial deaths in Odisha rose sharply to nine in 2025-26, compared to two in 2024-25 and 2023–24, and three in 2022–23. Union minister of state for home, Nityanand Rai, had attributed the figures to NHRC data in his March 24 reply.Former Congress state president Niranjan Patnaik accused the police of failing to curb both crime and custodial violence. “This erodes public trust in law enforcement. IPS officers are being spared while only lower-rung personnel face action,” Patnaik alleged.Dismissing the allegations, BJP spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra said the govt has acted decisively. “Unlike the previous govt, the Mohan Majhi govt is taking swift action against police personnel involved in custodial violence. Similarly, the govt maintains zero-tolerance to crimes and criminals,” Mohapatra said.Odisha police officers reiterated that anyone found guilty of custodial crimes will face both departmental and criminal proceedings.