The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on Saturday directed the State Home Secretary to take action for expeditious trial of alleged cadres of CPI(Maoist), who had reportedly launched coordinated attack on police establishments in Nayagarh district headquarter town in February 2008.
Campaign Against Fabricated Cases (CAFC) had moved the OHRC drawing attention of 12 undertrial prisoners who have been on hunger strike protesting that their trials were being deliberately delayed.
Notices were also issued to Director General of Police, Additional Director General Police (prison) and Inspector General of Police to take appropriate action so that undertrial prisoners and prosecuting witnesses appear before the court on the date fixed and submit an action taken report to the panel within two weeks.
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Moreover, prison authorities were directed to take steps to call off strike and prevent further deterioration of the situation. The CAFC had submitted that undertrial prisoners who were facing serious charges had been languishing in the Bhanja Nagar sub-jail and Special Jail, Jharpada, in Bhubaneswar for three to five years.
“Those in Bhanja Nagar sub-jail are on hunger strike since March 31, 2016, and in Special Jail, Bhubaneswar, since March 30. No officer in the civil administration has talked to any prisoner,” said Biswapriya Kanungo of CAFC.
“As a part of the delaying tactics, prosecution witnesses are not produced on the date fixed for evidence and cases are adjourned for months together and even the investigating officers are deliberately avoiding attending the trials ,” alleged Mr. Kanungo.
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A report states the undertrials have been languishing in jail for three to five years now