Odisha ex-MLA, 12 others get life term for killing inspector during 1998 protest

An Odisha court on Monday sentenced former Communist Party of India (CPI) legislator Nagireddy Narayan Reddy, 67, and 12 others to life imprisonment for the death of a police inspector in a blast during an agitation against the land acquisition for a steel plant by the Tatas in 1998.

A reserve inspector Binay Meher, was killed in a blast after some people threw a bomb at the police. He was only 35 years old at the time of his death.

Meher was deputed to Sindhigaon village to keep an eye on possible law and order issues due to the protest against land acquisition for a steel plant of Tata Steel in June 1998. The state government started the acquisition of nearly 7,000 acres of land in February 1996 in villages such Sindhigaon, Badapaur, Patrapur, Kalipalli and Paikapada for the proposed shore-based mega steel plant.

The steel plant never took off.

“On June 18, 1998, he was communicating with his team of police officials at Sindhigaon village when someone threw a bomb at him which ripped apart his stomach. He died on his way to the hospital. 22 people including Reddy were listed as accused and all of them were charged with murder under section 302 of IPC,” said special public prosecutor Niranjan Padhi.

Berhampur additional district and sessions judge Rajkumar Dash pronounced the verdict.

Meher was under transfer at the time of his death and was due to join another posting the following day. He had, however, stayed back at the request of Ganjam superintendent of police.

Reddy, who was elected to the Odisha assembly in 2004 from the Chhatrapur assembly segment when he was in jail, said the judgement was completely biased. “It was influenced by the government. Justice was not done for farmers and the public. We are disappointed. I will approach the higher court to get justice,” he said while being taken to jail.