TV
We sleep peacefully in our homes as Army personnel are guarding the border round-the-clock...However, the recent incident of alleged assault and misbehaviour shown towards an Army Major and his fiancé at Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar has dent a major blow to the image of Odisha Police.
Though Odisha Police suspended five cops including the Inspector In Charge (IIC) of Bharatpur police station on charges of gross misconduct, retired officials of the Armed forces on Wednesday staged a demonstration demanding stringent action against the erring officials.
The incident has not only raised questions on the working of the police personnel in Odisha, it has elicited sharp reactions from different quarters who are demanding adequate training for the police personnel on how to behave with public and those seeking their help.
The National Commission for Women has also taken suo motu cognizance of allegations made by the Army officer and his lady friend regarding their “custodial abuse” by Odisha Police.
The retired officials of the Armed forces today demanded a fair investigation into the alleged assault and arrest of an Indian Army officer of the Sikh Regiment Major Gurvansh Singh and his fiancé at the police station.
“The action taken against the officials of Bharatpur police station is not enough. Action should be taken against such erring police personnel and a judicial inquiry should be conducted,” said a retired Army personnel who staged a massive demonstration in Bhubaneswar today.
The ex-servicemen took out a rally up to Police Seva Bhawan and held a discussion with the Police Commissioner. “Assaulting is a criminal activity and such personnel should be dealt with as per law. The girl is traumatised. One of her teeth is broken and one of the jaw is dislocated,” said a retired Army officer.
“This is happening to a lot of people and everywhere. But despite being a daughter of an Army officer and fiancé of an Army officer, she was tortured. They showed Identity cards, but still, the police personnel said that they were powerful. There are some police personnel who misbehave and it is totally unacceptable,” said a lady member of the family of a retired Army official.
The Alleged Incident, Controversy & Action So Far
It has been alleged that Major Singh and his girlfriend were brutally assaulted by on-duty cops at Bharatpur police station when they had gone to lodge a complaint of road rage. It is said that the Army Major and his fiance were travelling in a car when they were allegedly obstructed and misbehaved by some miscreants.
When the victims visited Bharatpur police station, they were misbehaved and brutally assaulted by the cops instead of registering the complaint.
The Major was allegedly kept in the lockup and when his girlfriend voiced her protest, she was also brutally assaulted by the police. Even Bharatpur police station IIC allegedly threatened to rape her.
The Indian Army officer was later booked and his fiance was arrested for allegedly hurling abuses and assaulting three female cops inside Bharatpur police station.
Later, five accused cops of the police station were suspended- IIC Dinakrushna Mishra, SI Baisalini Panda, ASI Salilamayee Sahoo, ASI Sagarika Rath and Constable Balaram Handa.
