Bhubaneswar, Apr 8 (PTI) In the wake of protests by scribes across the state, Odisha Police Friday admitted that its act of keeping an arrested journalist chained to his hospital bed in Balasore during treatment was illegal and a violation of human rights.

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It suspended a havildar and shifted two women police officers in connection with the case.

The police had allegedly manhandled the journalist of a local TV news channel at the Nilgiri police station and arrested him in a case on April 5.

They then kept him tied to the bed during his treatment at the Balasore district headquarters hospital where he was taken after he lost consciousness.

A video showing journalist Loknath Dalei's leg kept chained to the hospital bed went viral sparking off protests by the media.

The police removed the chains on Thursday soon after news channels showed the video.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Narasingha Bhol said, "The matter has been taken very seriously. A DSP rank officer is heading the probe. It is an unfortunate incident. It is illegal to chain an accused to hospital bed. It is also violation of human rights.

One Havildar has been placed under suspension. "If it needs action will be taken against the inspector in charge on the basis of the probe,” he said.

Bhol said that Nilgiri police station inspector in charge Droupadi Das and investigating officer Subarna Behera have been transferred to the district police headquarters till the completion of the probe into the incident.

The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and directed the inspector general of police of eastern range to submit to it his report in the incident within 15 days after a thorough probe of the circumstances that led to it.

It also asked the chief district medical and public health officer of Balasore to submit a report by April 26.

Dalei was arrested on the charge of assaulting a home guard in Nilgiri market on April 4. He had, however, denied it and said that had only hit the home guard's vehicle unintentionally with his motorcycle.

The journalist claimed that on April 5 he was asked to go to Nilgiri police station, where his mobile phone was snatched away and he was thrashed by its inspector in charge Droupadi Das.

Meanwhile, members of the press in different districts as well as in the state capital took out protest rallies condemning the incident and demanded the immediate suspension of the Nilgiri IC.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)