Nearly one lakh advocates from 154 bar associations across Odisha today abstained from work and staged demonstrations, demanding immediate suspension and arrest of former Kendrapara SP Satish Gajbhiye.
After going through a report of the High Court Bar Association fact-finding team, the apex lawyers' body in the state this evening decided to continue their agitation till August 14 and has urged the bars to intensify the stir.
Earlier in the morning, a five-member team led by the Bar association president Dr Ashok Mohapatra visited Kendrapara to gather relevant facts from the local bar.
"We strongly condemn the brutal assault of the police, particularly of the former district SP, who behaved in the most barbaric manner while handling the Kendrapara situation last week," Bar Association secretary Bijay Kumar Ragad said adding that the lawyers would continue to agitate until stringent action was taken against the erring IPS officer.
The Kendrapara bar association has in the meantime decided to file two FIRs against Gajbhiye, who was shunted from the district and dumped as officer without duty in the police headquarters, Ragad said
Gajbhiye allegedly led a group of policemen to beat up general public in Kendrapara for two days last week while the district was witnessing turmoil over the fake 'godman' Sarathi Baba and his alleged illegitimate activity.
The police allegedly forced many to kneel down and do sit ups holding their ears on road.
