Bhubaneswar: The alleged custodial assault of a serving Army officer and his fiancée at Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar has snowballed into a major embarrassment for Odisha police.
In the last couple of days, Odisha DGP Y B Khurania has ordered a Crime Branch probe into the incident, suspended five police officers, sought report on police stations with no CCTV cameras across the state and ordered for registration of case against ‘hooligans’ who attacked the couple while they were returning home on September 14 night.
It was the move to lodge a road rage complaint that had allegedly led to a series of ‘unpleasant’ events as mentioned by Captain Gurvansh Singh Gosal in his FIR to Additional DG of Police, CID Crime Branch, Arun Bothra.
“I along with my fiancee reached Bharatpur police station at 2 am on September 15 to lodge a complaint against 10-12 miscreants who came in three cars, stopped my car, scuffled with us, assaulted me and threatened us with dire consequences near Pathargadia without any reason,” he wrote in the complaint, a copy of which is with Odisha Bytes.
The officer of Sikh Regiment of Indian Army, posted at Binnaguri Military Station in West Bengal, also mentioned about registration number of one the cars. “The police station had one constable and a WASI on duty who refused to listen to our complaint and provide protection to us for going back home. Later the police patrol came back and I approached the SI who was in-charge at the time to register an FIR. I was given a pen and paper to write while my fiancee tried to talk out to lady police officers that they will have to lodge an FIR even on oral information,” he said.
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Captain Singh alleged that four police officers dragged him to one of the cells, where they removed his pants and took all his belongings including my wallet, mobile phone, Army identity card and keys of his car, while he writing the complain. “Meanwhile, my fiancée was physically assaulted by two lady police officer in the lobby. I requested the constable to call the SI so that I explain him about the illegal detention. The SI was told about the arrest protocols of an Army Officer that how it requires either an arrest warrant from magistrate or on FIR of either rape or murder,” he further noted.
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He was then told to wait for the IIC to arrive at the police station. “I was subjected to illegal custody, harassment and
mental torture. At 6 am, when my fiancée Ankita being a lawyer by profession demanded the arrest warrant from the police authorities, she was dragged into a room and was stripped and brutally assaulted by four male and three female police officers. The IIC upon arrival sexually harassed and molested my fiancée and I could hear the screams for 30 minutes. Thereafter, my fiancee was illegally arrested and forwarded to the court of JMFC, Bhubaneswar,” he further alleged.
The Army officer said that he had to engage lawyers to follow up legal proceedings. The JMEC rejected her bail petition. Following which, he approached High Court which granted her bail on September 18. “Delay occurred to tender this written report since I was busy in following up legal proceeding of my fiancée. Therefore, I humbly request you to register this report as FIR and to investigate the matter so as to punish the offenders,” he added.
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While Crime Branch has registered a case against suspended inspector-in-charge (IIC) Dinakrushna Mishra of Bharatpur police station and some other cops for allegedly assaulting the Army officer and molesting his fiancée in custody and probing these allegations, versions of the accused is not known yet.
