Bhubaneswar, June 9: Police bowed to pressure from various quarters and transferred the inspector in charge (IIC) of Saheed Nagar police station today for the alleged custodial death of a 27-year-old man on June 5.

Earlier, the police had placed two assistant sub-inspectors, who were on duty at the police station that day, under suspension.

Inspector Alok Jena, in charge of the police station, was given marching orders by commissioner of police Sunil Roy following a recommendation by a board of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police.

“The IIC has been transferred to ensure an impartial probe,” Roy told The Telegraph. However, human rights activists demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a fair probe.

Jena has been shifted to the headquarters and inspector in charge of Chandrasekharpur traffic unit Kali Prasad Mishra will be the new chief of the high-profile Saheed Nagar police station.

The victim, Kuldeep Mohapatra, was caught and beaten up by a group of people while he was trying to extort money from a truck driver by posing as a policeman. The incident occurred at 8am on June 5 near the Regional Transport Office on National Highway No. 5, barely 100 metres from Saheed Nagar police station. Mohapatra was brought to the police station and visuals of him there were aired by the media. However, around 2.30pm he died.

The police claimed that Mohapatra had complained of uneasiness and was taken to Capital Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

While Kuldeep’s family members alleged that he was beaten to death by the police in particular, the cops had claimed that he had died as a result of being beaten by the mob. Sub-divisional judicial magistrate A.K. Paschimakabata began the mandatory magisterial probe into the incident on Friday.

The state Human Rights Commission, too, has suo motu taken up the case and issued notices to the police to explain the circumstances leading to Mohapatra’s death.

Roy said: “We are looking into on what grounds the police officers did not provide the accused required medical treatment on time.”

Capital Hospital has already handed over the preliminary post-mortem report. The final post-mortem report is awaited. “After the report comes we will be sure of the nature of death and injuries on Kuldeep’s body,” said deputy commissioner of police Nitinjeet Singh.