Bhubaneswar: Absence of CCTV cameras at Bharatpur police station has further complicated matters in the alleged custodial assault of a serving Army officer and molestation of his fiancée on the intervening night of September 14-15.
Unable to ascertain the sequence of events, the Crime Branch, which is investigating the allegations and counter allegations pertaining to the incident, is said to be mulling polygraph test on police officers, who have been accused of custodial abuse, and the Army Captain’s fiancée, who is alleged to have misbehaved with on-duty police personnel at the station.
The suspense deepened on Monday when old CCTV cameras were spotted at the model police station with cables being laid to install them.
Amid this, several purported video clips about the conduct of the Army officer and his fiancée have gone viral.
Model police station without CCTV cameras
The ‘used’ CCTV cameras found lying at Bharatpur police station have thrown up several questions? Were CCTV cameras installed at the police station on the day of the incident? If not then where did the old CCTV come from? Did the police remove the CCTV after the alleged custody assault incident to suppress the matter?
As the suspense continued, the new IIC, Deepak Kumar Khandayatray, clarified that these were installed at the outpost from where the police station had been functioning for over three years.
Sixteen CCTV cameras have now been installed at the police station.
Earlier in the day, the Orissa High Court had also expressed concern over absence of CCTV camera at the police station. “What’s disturbing, after having seen the sequence of events that admittedly two persons entered into the police station, apparently not to commit any crime but to lodge a complaint. What happened inside the police station is a mystery and being investigated…. It’s however surprising that they came out with a FIR registered against both of them for commission of offence relating to attempt to murder”.
ADG (Modernisation) Dayal Gangwar has been directed to submit status report of CCTVs at all police stations across the state.
Built over an acre of land at an estimated cost of Rs 4.5 crore, the three-storey Bharatpur police station was inaugurated on March 11 this year. Commissioner of Police Sanjeeb Panda had then said that this building designed with cutting-edge smart solutions and infrastructure has modern features like CCTV cameras, fire system and lightning protection system, besides separate toilet for people with disability.
However, DSP Narendra Behera heading the Crime Brach probe into the assault incident told the media that there were no CCTV cameras at the station, putting police in the dock.
While ordering a comprehensive audit of all police stations across Odisha to check availability and functioning of CCTV cameras. amid the alleged police brutality, DGP Y B Khurania said that the process of installation of cameras at Bharatpur police station was delayed as there was some issue with a vendor. “The CCTV cameras will be installed soon. We will also ensure that all police stations in the state are equipped with CCTV cameras,” he added.
In December 2020, the Supreme Court ordered for installing CCTV cameras at all police stations and offices of investigative agencies to ensure transparency and protection of human rights of accused and under-trials.
The viral video clips
While mystery continues to shroud the circumstances leading to the alleged assault of the Army officer and his fiancée after they arrived at the police station to lodge a road rage complaint, several video clips of the couple have been shared on social media platform, showing what happened prior to that.
The couple was seen partying at a bar that night in one of the videos and in another, the woman was seen kicking the door of an elevator, perhaps in an inebriated state, before storming out. She was also seen arguing with on-duty woman cops, almost taunting them over their conduct, at the station in another video.
Speaking to ANI, Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh on September 17 had said that both the Army captain and his fiancée had come to the police station in an “inappropriate state”. They reportedly started talking to the officer in an aggressive manner and the woman slapped a woman officer and bit her fingers when she tried to stop her, he added.
Notably, police had arrested the woman for creating fracas and assaulting a woman cop at the police station. While being taken for medical check-up after her arrest after the alleged torture, she was seen walking into the private hospital and later standing at the reception. However, she came on a wheelchair wearing a neck collar and sling pouch hand support to address a presser after being granted bail by the HC on September 18.
Narrating her harrowing experience to the media, the woman said she was repeatedly kicked on her chest before a police inspector assaulted and also flashed her. The Army officer could not intervene as he was put in a lockup, she had claimed.
A picture of bruises on her lips was also questioned by social media users, claiming that the injury was visible while she engaged in a heated argument with the cops at the police station.
A video of students involved in a scuffle with the Army officer and his fiancée at Chandaka Road on the same night is also doing the rounds on the social media. In the footage, the woman is heard saying, “I am speaking to the people who are trying to misbehave with me”. A man from the group responds, “No one is misbehaving with you”. “It is my car, whether I show my legs or my hair, it is my prerogative,” she can then be heard saying in Hindi. A man from the group responded saying, “If Mohan Majhi were here, would you show him the middle finger?”
The argument escalates and one of the men tells the Army officer to make her understand that ‘this is not Delhi’. The officer is seen trying to calm the situation and guide the woman away even as the men accuse her of playing the “victim card”. The group then hurl abuses and physically assault the officer as he tries to shield the woman. The video ends with the woman stating that she will go to the police, to which one of the men sarcastically responds, “Arre ja” (go ahead).
Why have these videos questioning the conduct of the couple suddenly gone viral on social media? Is there a deliberate attempt to mislead the case? Who are leaking these videos and why? Is this an attempt to create a narrative? Is there a conspiracy to defame the victim?
The woman’s father, a retired brigadier rank Army officer, has termed it as a smear campaign against his daughter. “These videos were leaked to character-assassinate her and to build a different narrative,” he said.
Judicial probe
Meanwhile, Chief Minister has announced a Commission of Inquiry by Justice C R Dash, retired High Court Judge, into the alleged custody assault case. He also met Army veterans along with the officer and his fiancée and her father at Lok Seva Bhawan here and assured them of impartial probe. Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan later told media that steps are being taken to provide timely justice to the victims.
Also Read: Odisha: Mohan Majhi Is People’s CM In True Sense, Says ‘Custody Assault’ Victim
The woman’s father has also requested the CM for action against people indulging in character assassination of his daughter by circulating video clips of the purported incidents leading to her alleged assault at the police station on social media. “I have requested the government to take action as per the law in this regard. Also, I sought protection for my daughter, who is running a restaurant, at her workplace. The CM has assured to direct the local police to provide necessary security to her,” he added.
