5 police officers from Odisha suspended for alleged assault on army officer and his fiancée

The Odisha state police have suspended five officers, including the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Bharatpur police station, for allegedly assaulting and harassing an Indian Army officer and his fiancée.

In an official statement, Odisha Police confirmed the suspension of IIC Dinakrushna Mishra, Sub-Inspector Baisalini Panda, Assistant Sub-Inspectors Salilamayee Sahoo and Sagarika Rath and Constable Balaram Handa.

“During their suspension, the officers shall continue to be subject to the disciplinary authority of the Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and shall be provided with ration and cost of living allowances as per Rule 90 of the Odisha Service Code,” the statement said.

The suspension came after police transferred IIC Mishra and two other officers from Bharatpur police station to ensure an impartial investigation. Mishra was posted to the Deputy Commissioner of Police office in Bhubaneswar, while ASI Sahoo and Constable Handa were transferred to the DCP office and the reserve office respectively.

The swift action followed a Criminal Investigation Department investigation into the allegations ordered by Director General of Police YB Khurania.

Allegations of brutality

The incident came to light when an army officer and his fiancée were allegedly attacked at Bharatpur police station after they tried to report an incident of road rage. The couple alleged that they were harassed by some people while driving.

When they arrived at the police station to file a report, they were allegedly abused. The officer was arrested and his fiancée was assaulted. Worryingly, the IIC allegedly threatened the woman with further violence.

The Indian Army has taken the matter seriously and intervened after learning about the incident. The woman was medically examined at Sum Hospital, where physical assault was confirmed.

After her release from AIIMS Bhubaneswar, the woman described the events of September 15 in a conversation with the media. “I was physically and sexually assaulted by police officers, including those from Bharatpur IIC,” she said.

The woman stated that she and her fiancé were harassed by some people after their restaurant closed at around 1 am. They fled and went to Bharatpur police station to file a complaint.

When she arrived at the station, the woman claimed that she was verbally abused by a female police officer when she tried to file her complaint. Matters escalated when a male officer allegedly detained the army officer and when she protested, she was dragged, beaten and later handcuffed by two female police officers.

According to the woman, she was sexually assaulted by a male police officer, which led to further harassment by the IIC.

A five-member team of Crime Branch led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Narendra Kumar Behera visited Bharatpur police station to investigate. The absence of CCTV footage and IIC Mishra during questioning hampered the investigation.