Woman devotee beaten up inside Puri Srimandir, havildar suspended

A woman devotee was allegedly misbehaved with and beaten up by an on-duty police personnel near Ghanti Dwara of Puri Srimandir on Monday, triggering sharp reactions from thousands of people who thronged the 12th century shrine.

The devotee, Madhuri Das from Berhampur in Ganjam district, sustained injuries on her head and was admitted to a hospital in the pilgrim city. 

Soon after the incident, the accused havildar belonging to the reserve battalion has been placed under suspension.

 
Speaking on the matter, Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh said that such incidents will not be tolerated and reoccurrence will be prevented in future. 
  
"The Habisiyali has brought the allegations against a havildar. We have taken her complaint seriously and placed the on-duty havildar under suspension. An additional SP has been entrusted with the investigation and it is in progression stage. A DSP rank police officer is supervising the head injuries of the Habisiyali,” Singh said. 

“The statement of havildar will be recorded to establish why and in which circumstances the incident happened. Things will be clear after the detailed inquiry. As of now, we have taken action on the incident from our side. After the detailed inquiry, if necessary, further action will be taken,” he added.

(Reported by Madhusudan Mishra, OTV)