Bhubaneswar. Odisha Police has suspended five policemen, including the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar, for allegedly assaulting an Army officer and “molesting” his girlfriend. According to an order issued by Director General of Police Y. B. Khurania on Wednesday, the five policemen have been suspended for gross misconduct.
The suspended police officers include Inspector Dinakrishna Mishra, Sub Inspector Baisalini Panda, two women ASIs Salilamayi Sahu and Sagarika Rath and Constable Balram Hansda. Mishra, Salilamayi and Balram were transferred on Tuesday itself after the alleged attack on the army officer and his female friend.
The police order said, “During the period of effect of the order, they will remain under the disciplinary control of the Commissioner of Police Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and will receive special allowance and dearness allowance under Rule 90 of the Odisha Service Code.” The army officer posted in West Bengal and his female friend had lodged a complaint of ‘road rage’ at the Bharatpur police station on Sunday morning.
Both of them got into an argument with the police officers regarding filing an FIR at the police station.
The army officer was allegedly kept in lock-up for over 10 hours and his girlfriend was taken to a secluded room by a woman officer where she was allegedly assaulted, stripped and molested. They were released after army officials intervened. However, police have registered a case against the army officer’s girlfriend.
After the incident, the Central Command of the Indian Army said in a post on the social media platform ‘X’, “An incident of misbehavior with a military officer in a police station in Bharatpur, Odisha has come in the media. The Indian Army has taken this incident seriously. Necessary action has been taken.” Earlier, a police officer had claimed that both of them reached the police station and refused to file a written complaint about the road rage incident and misbehaved with the policemen including a woman policeman.
Following the DGP’s order, the Odisha Police Crime Branch started investigating the case on Tuesday.
A five-member team of the Crime Branch, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) rank officer Narendra Kumar Behera, questioned the policemen present during the incident for more than four hours on Sunday morning and examined the documents of the case. The High Court adjourned the hearing on the woman’s bail plea to Wednesday and directed the investigating officer and the inspector in charge of Bharatpur police station to appear before the court through virtual medium on Wednesday.