Bhubaneswar, May 22: A police havildar was suspended today following criticism after he handcuffed Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM) general secretary Jagneswar Babu while taking him to the court yesterday.

The OJM today organised a road blockade on the NH-5 near Vani Vihar.

The escort team handcuffed Jagneswar, a former member of the Biju Janata Dal, and brought him to the vigilance court from Jharapada special jail yesterday.

However, after some lawyers protested, the cops removed the cuffs.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Nitinjeet Singh said that it was up to the escort team to decide whether a person should be handcuffed while being taken from jail to court or not.

“Following an inquiry by an assistant commissioner of police, we suspended S.N. Tripathy,” said Singh.

He said that following requisition from the jail authorities, two constables and one havildar had been deployed to escort Jagneswar, who was being tried in a vigilance case.

Police today detained 32 activists of the OJM who were trying to block the National Highway 5 at Vani Vihar Square. They were protesting against the handcuffing of Jagneswar.

Jagneswar’s lawyer Suman Biswal said though the Supreme Court guideline stated that handcuffs would be used only in case of criminals, the police still used hancuffs on Jagneswar. The law also stipulated that the police should take permission from a judge to handcuff an under-trial prisoner. “Yesterday’s police action violated human rights of Jagneswar and was a breach of Supreme Court norm,” said Biswal.

Biswal also alleged that while police were taking the agitating activists into preventive custody, they also handcuffed him.

“The police even handcuffed me while putting us onto a bus,” said Biswal.