A middle-aged government employee was allegedly stripped, beaten and kept in lock-up for hours on charges that he refused to assist the police when they were searching for one of his colleagues.

Akshay Mohanty, Section Officer in the Soil Conservation Department in Athagarh block of Cuttack district, was taken to the police station on Tuesday night by Inspector In-charge (IIC) Pradipta Kumar Jena and ASI Niranjan Sabar where he was allegedly stripped and beaten, said Cuttack (Rural) SP Rajat Mishra.

Police officers said the two officers had gone to the office in search of watchman Kirtan Nayak against whom an oral complaint of misbehaviour was received from a woman. “When the two could not find the watchman, they asked Mohanty about his whereabouts. The officer reportedly refused to accompany the two officers to the watchman’s quarters. This allegedly offended the policemen who took him to the police station and tortured him. Police sources said Mohanty was stripped and beaten even after his advocate brother Arun Kumar Mohanty intervened.

Mohanty was released only after the local residents gheraoed the police station. The pictures of a bruised and naked Mohanty appeared in vernacular papers, forcing the Government to suspend the police station in-charge and transfer the ASI.

Director General of Police Manmohan Praharaj has issued suspension orders for the IIC on the basis of a preliminary report submitted by the ASP, Cuttack, Harmohan Das. Home Secretary Aditya Padhi said the Government has sought a report from the DGP.