Saturday, January 14 2006 15:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhubaneswar: The recent allegation that bodies of six of the victims in the Kalinga Nagar firing had been mutilated would be probed by the state Human Rights Commission, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said today (Jan 14,2006).

"I have decided to request the state Human Rights Commission to inquire into this matter", Patnaik said here.

The Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights (OPDR) of Andhra Pradesh and local trade union leader Mayadhar Nayak had alleged at separate news conferences yesterday (Jan 13,2006)that the private parts of the victims had been mutilated.

Stating that he had come across such reports in the media, the Chief Minister said if anyone was found to be involved in the 'brutal act', sternest action would be taken against him.

An official of the national commission for scheduled tribes, which visited the state, said that the Commission had received complaints in this connection. But he did not elaborate.

The palms of the six victims had been chopped off during the post-mortem which sparked an uproar leading to the suspension of three doctors who had conducted the examination.