BB Mohanti suspended

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa's top police official BB Mohanti was suspended on Friday a few hours after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him by a Rajsthan court for allegedly sheltering his son who was convicted of raping a foreigner and jumped parole from a jail in that state.

Mohanti, Orissa Director General (Fire Services) is, however, yet to be arrested and could not be traced.

He was suspended after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik consulted Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy, Home Secretary TKMishra and senior officials following the delivery of the NBWs against Mohanti and his son Bitihotra to the Cuttack district magistrate during the day.

''Mohanti was suspended in accordance with the provisions of service rules. Such action can be initiated against any civil servant facing criminal cases,'' Mishra said.

To a query, he said the warrants issued against Mohanti earlier were defective while the NBW served on Friday was in proper form, which prompted the government to act.

Cuttack superintendent of police Soumendra Priyadarshi, entrusted with executing the warrants by district magistrate Sujata Karthikeyan, said a police team searched for senior Mohanti at his office and residence but he was not found.

Rajasthan police had twice failed to arrest the police official accused of sheletring his son after he jumped parole on being released from a prison in Rajasthan as he had gone on leave.