Cuttack, Sept. 12: The controversy over the role of Rourkela superintendent of police after an alleged assault of a judicial magistrate has taken a new turn with the Rourkela Bar Association filing a petition before the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission to call for records corroborating his whereabouts at the time of the incident on April 2 night.

The association alleged that the then Rourkela SP “in order to avoid his responsibility had stated that he was on leave and therefore has no role in the alleged incident”.

Diptesh Kumar Pattnayak (the then SP of Rourkela) had in his affidavit filed before the commission stated: “Since March 6, 2011, I have been suffering from painful anal fissures and have been experiencing acute and excruciating pain and spasms and was first medically examined by Dr J.M. Rao at Kar Clinic and Hospitals in Bhubaneswar on March 8. Dr Rao asked me to come again on March 29 for further examination. On examination on March 29, Dr Rao found the anal area in acute inflammation and hence prescribed stronger medicines and asked me to come on April 3 morning for examination. Accordingly, on April 2, 2011, I reached Bhubaneswar by 9.30 pm.”

Contesting the claims, the bar association, in its petition filed yesterday, said: “The commission is required to have the first hand information relating to the presence or otherwise of the then SP on the date of incident in Rourkela.”

“In the interest of justice, the leave application, the headquarters leaving permission granted to him and the concerned person who was in-charge of SP in Rourkela at the alleged time of incident is required to be produced for effective enquiry and to ascertain the truth,” the petition contended.

“We have also sought direction of the commission to the deputy inspector general of police of western range calling for the call records of the then SP Diptesh Pattnayak’s cell phone on April 2 and 3, 2011, from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Bhubaneswar,” said Advocate Bibhu Prasad Tripathy, who filed the petition on behalf of Rourkela Bar Association. The commission has fixed October 22 for hearing on the petition.

The alleged occurrence of the incident involving judicial magistrate (first class) Arun Pattnaik and the local police took place around 11.30pm on the night of April 2. Arun Patnaik had stated in his affidavit that when he disclosed about the assault over phone to the police superintendent, “Diptesh Pattnayak suggested that I should avoid aggravating the situation and he advised me to compromise the matter with Sadananda Pujari, inspector in-charge, Uditnagar.”