Budhia torture case: Court grants bail to Coach

Bhubaneswar, Aug 16: A local court today granted conditional bail to ''marathon kid'' Budhia Singh's coach Biranchi Das, arrested on August 13 for allegedly torturing and assaulting him.

Mr Das was arrested after Budhia's mother, Sukanti Singh, filed an FIR with the Bargarh police station alleging that her son was subjected to mental torture and physical assault by the coach.

He was arrested under section 321, 341, 323, 294 and 506 of the IPC and section 23 of the Juvenile Justice(care and Protection) Children Act and was forwarded to the court after Budhia was medically examined at the Capital Hospital.

Mr Das was sent to custody as his lawyer was not able to move a bail petition due to paucity of time and the judge fixed today for hearing the bail petition.

Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Arun Kumar Sahu granted conditional bail after Das's counsel argued that the medical examination conducted by the doctors at the Capital Hospital clearly revealed that there was no injury to prove that Budhia was physically tortured by the Coach. He also contended that the allegations were ''baseless, malafide and motivated.'' The Judge, while granting bail, made it clear that the coach should not indulge in similar offence during the bail period. He also directed him to furnish a surety of Rs 5000.

Mr Das, presently lodged in the Special Jail, is also facing another criminal case lodged by a woman and had to move another bail petition to be released from the jail, police said.

Budhia, who was picked up from a slum by Das, shot into fame on May 2 last year when he ran 65 km non-stop from Puri to Bhubaneswar and etched his name in the Limca Book of Records as the world's youngest marathon child.

UNI