Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday announced that it would stage a week-long demonstration from February 25 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to protest against the alleged custodial death of a man at Ainthapali police station in Sambalpur on February 9.

They have also sought an appointment to meet President Ram Nath Kovind and submit a memorandum to this effect.

The Congress announced came after a four-member delegation led by former state unit chief Jayadev Jena met family members of Abinash Munda, who was found dead in lock-up, at Bhalupali in Sambalpur.

Jena said: "A sitting judge of Orissa High Court should probe Abinash's death and submit a report within six months. Cases should be lodged under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code against the accused involved."

MLAs Krushna Chandra Sagaria and Naba Kishore Das and former MP Pradeep Majhi accompanied Jena.

Majhi said: "We have lost confidence in the state government and, therefore, decided to take up the issue with the President. Atrocities against members of the SC and ST communities have gone up over the years. Our SC and ST cells will take the case to its logical end and ensure that the guilty are punished."

However, the BJD's Sambalpur MLA Raseswari Panigrahi said: "The Opposition parties should stop giving statements on this. The chief minister is aware of his responsibilities. An inquiry has already begun and the Opposition should refrain from politicising the issue."

The State Human Rights Protection Cell of the police has launched an investigation into the death following large-scale violence that erupted in Sambalpur.

Eight police personnel, including sub-divisional police officer Abakash Routrai, suffered injuries after a mob pelted the cops with stones. Around a dozen civilians were injured in the police's retaliatory lathi charge.