Sambalpur superintendent of police Kanwar Vishal Singh took charge as the Puri SP on Sunday even as tension over an alleged custodial death in the temple town was yet to subside and amid fresh allegations of custodial torture at Pipili police station in the district.

Kanwar Vishal Singh replaces Akhileshwar Singh, who was relieved of his charge as Puri SP and attached to the police headquarters in Cuttack, following public outcry against the alleged death of K. Ramesh, a youth of Puri town, in police custody last Wednesday.

While the issue continues to generate heat, the alleged torture of six youths at Pipili police station of Puri district has sparked fresh trouble for Odisha police. Family members of the youths have alleged the police did not even allow them to meet the boys.

The alleged custodial torture in Pipili came to light when Nimapara jail authorities refused to accept the youths stating that they were critically ill. On November 14, police had detained six youths for allegedly attacking a police informer. On November 19, the court sent them to judicial custody at Nimapara jail. But the jail authorities refused to accept the youths and the accused were sent to SCB Medical College, Cuttack, for treatment.

The family members of the youths alleged that they were kept in the dark about the whereabouts of their children. They said they were not even allowed to meet the boys who are being treated in the hospital. Urmila Behera, mother of one of the boys, said, “Police have taken away my son. I don’t know his whereabouts. I want him back.”

Gurucharan Pasupalak, father of another of the accused undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College, said that “the authorities are not allowing me to meet my son. I have not seen him for the last eight days”. Meanwhile, deputy inspector-general, Central range, has started a probe into allegations of police excesses against the six youths in Pipili police station.

On Saturday, the Assembly witnessed pandemonium over alleged police excesses and the custodial death of two persons with the Opposition claiming that the government was insensitive and that jungle raj was prevailing in the state.

Opposition leaders had accused the government of protecting police officers involved in the alleged custodial deaths.