Family demands dismissal of police officer from service

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]September 20 (ANI): The family of an Indian Army officer and his fiancée, who were allegedly attacked at Bharatpur police station, have demanded that the accused police officials be dismissed from service.

Speaking to ANI, the army officer's fiancée's father stated that suspension was not enough in this case and demanded a jail term for the accused.

The incident reportedly took place on September 15 when the Army Major and the woman went to the Bharatpur police station to complain about some miscreants who had harassed them when they were returning from a hotel late at night. Instead of addressing their concerns, the police allegedly tortured the Major and the woman and even sent them to jail without any justification.

“The incident is reprehensible. The police officers present at the police station committed an illegal act. They know that they cannot arrest an army officer, yet they locked him up. They know that they should help someone who comes to the police station and asks for help. Instead of helping, they beat him up, locked him up and made a case against him to go to jail. What can be worse than this?” asked the father of the army officer's fiancée.

“Five police officers have been suspended for the heinous crimes they committed, but suspension is not enough for them. They must be dismissed from service. They should go to jail. This is what we are demanding from the government. We are demanding from the government that the police be trained and sensitised so that they can take care of the people who come to them and not beat them up,” he added.

The woman described the incident as follows: “When we went to Bharatpur police station to file a complaint, the entire police station was empty. Only one lady was sitting at the reception desk, but she was not wearing a uniform. I asked her to file an FIR and explained it to her, but she did not listen. She said if you have any problem, you should go for the investigation and bring the reports. She said our superiors would come; you can talk to them.” The woman also alleged that she was sexually abused by the inspector in charge of the station and said she was punched and kicked by other male officers at the station.

“When ACP reached the police station, we told him everything but he shouted at us and tried to prove us wrong. At around 8 am, I told them that I wanted to go to the hospital and they sent a few policemen with me. I reached the hospital with my jaw and teeth broken and later some tests were done. Later in the day, when we again went to Bharatpur police station, they told me that a complaint had been filed against me for beating and manhandling police officials. At around 8 pm, they took me in a police van and told me that they were taking me away for some formalities. I was not informed whether they were taking me to jail or whether a complaint had been filed against me,” she added.

Following the incident, retired officers of the armed forces led by Brigadier Antaryami Pradhan, President of the Ex-Servicemen Association of Odisha, held a protest rally and demanded criminal proceedings against the accused police officials.

Five policemen from Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar have been suspended on allegations of assault and sexual harassment. (ANI)