Senior Odisha IPS Officer Rajesh Pandit Suspended For ‘Misbehaving With Woman Cop’

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday suspended 2007-batch IPS officer Rajesh Pandit for grave misconduct in connection with an incident under Capital police limits on the night of July 27.

He has been serving as DIG, Fire Services & Home Guards, since May last year.

This came amid allegation that  he had forcibly entered the home of a married woman inspector and misbehaved with her.

According to a Home department notification, the suspension followed a confidential report submitted against Pandit by DGP, Odisha. “The IPS officer has been placed under suspension with immediate effect since disciplinary proceeding is being contemplated against him on the grounds of grave misconduct as a Member of the Indian Police Service.”

During the period of suspension, he will remain at the State Police Headquarters, Cuttack. “He shall not leave the
the headquarters without obtaining the permission of the DGP,” it added.

It is alleged that the DIG barged into the quarters of a woman cop, posted with Economic Offences Wing CB-CID, around 10-11 pm on July 27 and misbehaved with her in an inebriated state. “The senior IPS officer was forcing her to marry him. When her husband intervened, Pandit brutally assaulted him. Her husband is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. They are also not being allowed to file an FIR,” claimed RTI activist Jayanta Kumar Das.

Das has filed a petition with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), seeking an investigation into the assault of the female inspector. “There have been attempts to suppress the incident. I have requested the NHRC to send a team to Odisha to investigate this high-profile case as it unlikely that the police department can ensure justice for the woman cop,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh said that no written complaint has been lodged in connection with the incident.