Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 20 : Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on Friday slammed the Mohan Majhi government in the state over the alleged assault on an Army officer and his fiancee at Bharatpur police station of Bhubaneswar and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.
In a statement at the BJD office in Bhubaneswar, the leader of the Opposition said the police action towards the Army personnel and his fiancee was shocking.
"All of you have heard of what recently happened to an army major and his fiancee, at a police station here in Bhubaneshwar. This is very shocking news of violence that was meted out to both of them and the alleged sexual assault on the Major's fiancee. We demand a full judicial inquiry into this matter and action must be taken very quickly... They (BJP) have been there in government for more than 100 days, they should have had enough time to see all through this," Patnaik said.
"During our government we had the system of MoSarkar in which Chief Minister, Ministers and Senior Officers would call the citizens to take feedback on their visits to government offices including police stations and hospitals, whether they were treated with dignity and professional conduct. This BJP government has immediately stopped the pro-people initiative of Mo Sarkar and the consequences are visible," he added.
The incident reportedly took place on September 15 when the Army Major and the woman went to the Bharatpur police station to complain against some miscreants who had harassed them while returning from a hotel late at night. Instead of addressing their concerns, the police allegedly tortured the Major and the woman, even sending her to jail without any justification.
Meanwhile, the family of the Indian Army Officer and his fiancee, who were allegedly assaulted at Bharatpur police station, demanded the termination of accused police officers from the services. Speaking to ANI, the father of the Army Officer's fiancee said that suspension is not enough in the case and demanded the accused be jailed.
"The incident is condemnable. The police officials present at the police station have done an illegal act. They know that they cannot arrest an army officer, yet they put them in the lockup. They know that if someone comes to the police station for help, they should help them. Instead of helping, they beat them up, put them in the lockup and made a case against them to put them in jail. What can be worse than this?," father of the Army Officer's fiancee said.
"Five police officials have been suspended for the heinous crime they have committed but suspension for them is not enough. It is necessary to terminate them from their services. They should go to jail. This is what we are demanding from the government. It is our request from the government that the police should be trained, they should be sensitised so that they can take care of the people who are coming and not beat them up," he added.
Describing the incident, the woman said, "When we went to Bharatpur Police Station to file a complaint, the entire police station was empty. Only one lady was sitting at the reception but she was not in her uniform. I asked her to write an FIR, I explained to her but she did not pay attention. She said that if you have a problem, then go and get a medical done and bring the reports. She said our senior officers will come; you can talk to them."
The woman further alleged sexual abuse from the inspector in-charge of the station and said that she was beaten and kicked by other male officers in the station.
"After ACP reached the Police Station, we told him everything but he shouted at us and tried to prove us wrong. At around 8 AM, I told them that I wanted to go to the hospital and they sent some police officers along with me. I reached the hospital, my jaw and teeth were broken and later some tests were done. Later in the day, when we went to Bharatpur PS again, they told me that there was an FIR registered against me for beating and abusing police officials. At around 8 PM, they took me in a police van and told me that they were taking me for some paperwork. I was not informed if they were taking me to prison or if was there any FIR against me," she added.
Following the incident, retired Armed Forces officers led-by Brigadier Antaryami Pradhan, President of the Ex-Servicemen Association of Odisha, staged a protest, calling for criminal proceedings against the accused police personnel. Five police officers from Bharatpur Police Station in Bhubaneswar have been suspended following allegations of assault and molestation.