The woman, fiancée of an Army officer, on Thursday (September 19, 2024) recounted the harrowing ordeal she endured in a Bhubaneswar police station. With trembling words, she revealed the chilling details of the horrific abuse inflicted upon her by the very police officers sworn to protect public.
An Army officer, a Captain in the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army, along with her fiancée was heckled by a group of miscreants when they were returning home late in the night. When they had gone to lodge a complaint with Bharatpur police station of Bhubaneswar, they were subjected to illegal detention and custodial torture instead of being attended to.
While speaking to The Hindu, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi said, “my government is monitoring the investigation closely to ensure impartiality. Police officers involved were promptly suspended as soon as the Crime Branch began its inquiry. There will be no leniency for anyone involved; those found guilty will face the harshest possible punishments.”
“I was wrongfully thrown into jail. Around 1 a.m. clock on September 15, when I was going home after shutting down my restaurant, some people in their cars waylaid us and tried to pick up a fight. We escaped from the spot. When we reached Bharatpur police station to lodge a complaint about the incident, a woman constable was sitting in her informal dress. There was no one at the reception table,” the female friend of Army officer after being discharged from AIIMS-Bhubaneswar said on Thursday (September 19, 2024).
“I requested the on-duty police personnel multiple times to lodge my complaint because I was frightened that we might again be followed by the miscreants. I also wanted the police to send a patrolling vehicle to the spot. No help came from them. Instead they resorted to verbal abuse,” she said.
“When I told them that I am a lawyer and it was duty of police to receive complaint at the odd hours, they took offense to it. After sometime, a patrol vehicle reached the police station. Some female officers and rest male officers got down from the vehicle. They had given opportunity to my fiancée to write a complaint,” the woman narrated.
“But suddenly they forcibly took him into custody. I tried to argue that police cannot take an army officer into custody and it would be unlawful. At that moment, two female officers dragged me by holding my hair. They started physically assaulting me. I kept on pleading them not to beat me,” she said giving an account.
“While they dragged me through corridor of police station, I tried to fight back. When a lady constable tried to strangulate me, I bit her. Subsequently, all ganged up and tied my hands from behind using with my jacket. My legs were tied by scarf of a lady constable. They threw me into a room,” the woman said.
“Shortly after a male officer pulled down my bra and started kicking my breast continuously. At around 6 a.m., the inspector-in-charge of Bharatpur police station came and lowered my pant and also lowered his pant. He flashed his genital and made lewd remarks threatening assault me sexually,” she recounted, struggling to hold back tears.
On September 18, the Army officer had lodged a formal complaint with Crime Branch of Odisha police. In his complaint, he also said, “the IIC upon arrival sexually harassed and molested my fiancé and I could hear the screams for 30 minutes. Thereafter my fiancé was illegally arrested and forwarded to the court.”
The Orissa High Court on September 18 granted bail to the woman and also expressed concern about police excesses.
Four days after the incident, the Crime Branch of Odisha Police has launched a search for the miscreants accused of reckless driving and threatening the couple.
“The Crime Branch has launched a separate investigation into the road rage incident following a formal complaint lodged on September 18. I have instructed the Crime Branch to handle the case independently, without linking it to the events that occurred at the police station,” said Y.B. Khurania, Director General of Police.
Published – September 19, 2024 10:17 pm IST
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