Odisha CM Orders Judicial Probe Into ‘Custodial abuse’ to Indian Army officer, His Fiancée in Police Station

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has ordered for a judicial inquiry into the alleged harassment torture of an army officer and the “sexual assault” of his fiancee at Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar.

As per a statement of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), this judicial inquiry will be headed by Justice Chittaranjan Das, and the report will be filed within 60 days.

The state government also requested the Orissa High Court to supervise the Crime Branch investigation into the case.

Majhi in the statement of the CMO, said, his government respects the Indian Army and the state government is fully concerned about the dignity, safety and rights of women.

The Odisha Government has already suspended five personnel of the Bharatpur police station. A criminal case has been registered against them for “torturing the Army officer and sexually harassing his fiancee”.

On September 15, the Army officer posted in West Bengal and his fiancee approached Bharatpur police station to lodge a complaint after they were allegedly harassed by some local youths.

It is alleged that following an altercation between the duo and some policemen, the army officer and his fiancee were allegedly assaulted at the police station by the cops.

BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik had demanded a court-monitored SIT probe and a judicial inquiry into the incident.