Kulamani Swain was arrested on charges of alleged illicit liquor trade. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, Oct. 17: An 86-year-old man, allegedly framed on trumped-up charge, is languishing in the local jail for no fault of his.

Kulamani Swain, the octogenarian who is frail and immobile because of old-age related ailments, has been held allegedly for breaking law by indulging in bootlegging.

The assertion of the ailing man that he did not do anything, which warranted confinement, has brought the excise cops here under scanner.

“The old man was remanded in custody on October 15 after his bail application was dismissed by a court. Most of the times, he is found crying in the prison. Jail warders have found him in a depressed state of mind since the day he has been lodged here,” said local jail superintendent, Samir Ranjan Sahu.

“Swain was arrested from his native Samajhari village under Ameipala gram panchayat that comes under the jurisdiction of Mahakalpada police station. We seized illicit country liquor near his house,” said excise inspector Harish Chandra Sethy.

“I am in not involved in illicit liquor trade. I am sick. I am unable to move properly. I have been falsely framed. My wife is 72-year-old and is partially blind. To lead a jail life is a rude shock for me. The liquor seized near my house might have been dumped by some bootleggers,” Swain said.

Human rights activists feel that the old man has nothing to do with illicit liquor trade and has been wrongfully punished by errant cops. “Excise personnel have perpetrated an act of grave impropriety by arresting an innocent old man. The cops should have made a thorough investigation before arresting an old man,” said Randhir Jena, convener, Jana Adhikar Samukhya, a civil society group.

“The matter is being investigated. If the arrested man is found innocent, disciplinary action will be initiated against the erring excise personnel,” said Kendrapara excise superintendent, Pratap Kishore Mishra.