Cuttack, May 14: Orissa High Court has sought a status report from the director-general of police (DGP) on a complaint lodged nearly six months ago by a woman, who has since been killed.

The high court issued the order on a petition filed after the woman's murder by her brother, who is now languishing in Balasore jail, allegedly on false robbery charges. The petition has alleged police inaction on the complaint.

The woman had lodged a complaint with Balasore Town police station where she alleged that her brother was assaulted, leaving him with grievous injuries and fractures on his head, abdomen, hands, legs and other parts of the body.

Prativa Mandal, 36, of Motiganj in Balasore, had initially alleged in her complaint with Balasore police station that her brother, Kharavela Mahjee, 28, was assaulted on October 26, 2016. The assault was the fallout of his family's role in the encroachment of a public road in their village - Suleipur.

When the police refused to take it up as an FIR, she wrote to the inspector in charge of Balasore Town police station and the Balasore superintendent of police on November 5, 2016.

However, the police acted on false robbery charges against Kharavela, arrested him and put him in jail on November 8, 2016.

Subsequently, on December 23, 2016, Prativa sought the high court's intervention against police inaction and victimisation of her brother.

Prativa was killed on January 27, allegedly for not withdrawing her complaint, while the petition was still pending. Her daughter Suman, son Subali and nephew Bibek were hacked to death in their sleep, while Prativa's head was severed and thrown 200m from the house. In his petition, Kharavela sought the high court's permission to include his name in place of his sister in the petition. The petition came up for hearing last week.

"Acting on the petition, the single-judge bench of Justice B.K. Nayak sought to know what action has been taken on the complaint so far," petitioner counsel Hemanta Ratsingh said today.