5 Odisha police officers suspended for ‘assault’ on army officer and his fiancée – News from India

The Odisha state police have suspended five officers, including the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar, 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.

The incident sparked outrage among retired army officers, who demanded tougher action against the accused, ANI reported.

The incident reportedly occurred when the army officer and the woman went to the Bharatpur police station to complain about some miscreants who had harassed them in an incident of driving aggression while they were returning from a hotel late at night. Instead of addressing their concerns, the police allegedly tortured the officer and the woman and even sent them to jail without any justification.

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After the Orissa High Court granted her bail, the army officer's fiancée accused the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) and another officer of “sexually harassing and sexually abusing” her in police custody on the morning of September 15.

“While I was screaming for help, the inspector in charge of the police station came around 6 am,” she said, claiming he pulled down her pants, exposed his private parts and “hurled obscene words at her,” the Indian Express reported.

The court has already judged the case strictly and ordered measures.

“On September 15, at around 1 am, when I was returning home after my restaurant closed, a group of youths stopped our car and tried to scuffle with us. After we managed to get into the car, we went to Bharatpur police station to file a complaint. There, a woman constable in her nightgown was sitting at the reception,” the woman alleged to reporters at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, where she is staying.

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She described her alleged ordeal and said she asked the police officer to file a report or send a patrol to track down the teenagers.

“The policewoman did not help me but misbehaved with us. When I tried to explain to her that I am a lawyer and it is her duty to file a complaint, she became angry. Moments later, another policewoman and other staff arrived at the police station in a patrol car. They allowed (my fiancé) to write a complaint, but I don't know why they immediately took him into custody,” she claimed, according to IE.

She stated that the two female officers dragged her by her hair and started attacking her when she told them that they could not put an army officer behind bars.

“I asked them to stop, but they continued to drag me through the corridors of the police station. I tried to resist. When a female police officer tried to choke me, I bit her hand. They tied my hands with my jacket and my legs with a female police officer's headscarf and took me to a room. After some time, a male police officer came and tried to step on my breasts continuously after removing my underwear,” she stated.

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In his complaint to the Deputy Director General of Criminal Investigation Department, which is currently investigating the case, the army officer also alleged that when his fiancée demanded the arrest warrant from the police authorities, she was dragged into a room, stripped and assaulted by four male and three female police officers, including members of the IIC, IE reported.

“The IIC sexually harassed and abused my fiancée and I could hear the screams for 30 minutes,” he claimed.

The army officer also claimed that four police officers detained him and dragged him to one of the cells while he was writing the complaint. There, they removed his pants and took all his belongings, including his wallet, phone, army ID and car keys. “I was illegally locked in the cell at 3 am,” he further claimed.

During the bail hearing in the Orissa High Court, the plaintiff's counsel stated that the plaintiff was brutally assaulted by the police officials at the Bharatpur station, due to which she sustained serious injuries. Following the oral order of the Orissa High Court on Tuesday, the victim was shifted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, where she was undergoing treatment.

Since her bail application had earlier been rejected by a lower court, the Supreme Court also observed that “the learned Magistrate had failed to exercise his judicial reason and acted mechanically”.

In its ruling, the court also noted that, given the gravity and seriousness of the allegations, these appeared to be “very serious allegations.”

The court granted bail to the petitioner after he furnished a surety bond of Rs 30,000 with two local solvent sureties.

The National Women's Commission has also taken note of the allegations and requested a report on the measures taken.

Meanwhile, hundreds of former soldiers held a protest rally in Bhubaneswar, demanding tough action against the erring police forces and a judicial investigation.

(With inputs from ANI)