The Odisha Police has suspended five officers, including the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Bharatpur Police Station in Bhubaneswar, for the alleged assault and harassment of an Indian Army officer and his fiancée.

In an official statement, the Odisha Police confirmed the suspension of IIC Dinakrushna Mishra, Sub-Inspector Baisalini Panda, Assistant Sub-Inspectors Salilamayee Sahoo and Sagarika Rath, and Constable Balaram Handa.

The incident has sparked outrage among retired Army officials, who are demanding stronger action against the accused, ANI reported.

The incident reportedly took place when the Army officer 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 in a road rage incident. Instead of addressing their concerns, the police allegedly tortured the officer and the woman, even sending her to jail without any justification.

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After the Orissa High Court granted her bail, the fiancée of the Army officer accused the inspector-in-charge (IIC) and another officer of “sexually harassing and molesting” her in police custody on the morning of September 15.

“As I was screaming for help, the inspector in charge of the police station came at around 6 am,” she said, alleging that he lowered her pants, exposed his private parts and “abused in filthy language”, Indian Express reported.

The court has already taken a stern view of the case and ordered action.

“Around 1 am on September 15, when I was heading home after closing down my restaurant, a group of youths stopped our car and tried to scuffle with us. After we managed to get into the car, we went to the Bharatpur police station to lodge an FIR, where a lady constable was sitting at the reception wearing a nighty,” the woman alleged while speaking to reporters at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, where she is admitted.

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Narrating her alleged ordeal, she said she requested the woman officer to lodge a complaint or to send a patrol to spot the youths.

“The lady officer didn’t help me; rather she misbehaved with us. When I tried to tell her that I am a lawyer and it’s her duty to file an FIR, she fumed at me. Moments later, another lady officer and other staff reached the police station in a patrol vehicle. They allowed (my fiancee) to write a complaint, but I don’t know why they put him in custody immediately,” she claimed, IE reported.

She alleged that when she told them that they cannot put an Army officer behind bars, the two women officers dragged her hair and started assaulting her.

“I requested them to stop but they continued to drag me on the corridors of the police station. I tried to fight back. When a lady constable tried to throttle me, I bit her hand. They tied my hands with my jacket and my legs with the scarf of a lady constable, and put me inside a room. After some time, a male officer came and tried to kick me on my breasts continuously after removing my inner,” she alleged.

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In his compliant to the additional director general, Crime Branch, which is now probing the matter, the Army officer also alleged that when his fiancée demanded the arrest warrant from the police authorities, she was dragged into a room, stripped and assaulted by four men and three women police officers, including the IIC, IE reported.

“The IIC sexually harassed and molested my fiancée and I could hear the screams for 30 minutes,” he alleged.

The Army officer also alleged that when he was writing the complaint, four police officers held him and dragged him to one of the cells, where they removed his pants and took all his belongings, including his wallet, phone, Army identity card and car keys. “I was locked up inside the cell illegally at 3 am,” he further alleged.

During the hearing bail hearing in the Orissa HC, the counsel appearing for the petitioner stated that the petitioner was brutally assaulted by the police personnel at Bharatpur station, as a result of which she has sustained grievous injury. On the basis of the verbal order of the Orissa high court on Tuesday, the victim was shifted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, where she was undergoing treatment.

As her bail plea was earlier rejected by a lower court, the High Court also observed that “the learned magistrate has failed to apply his/her judicial mind and has acted in a mechanical manner”.

The court, in its order, also stated that taking into consideration the seriousness and gravity of the allegation, it appears that “the allegations are very serious in nature.”

The court granted bail to the petitioner on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 30,000 with two local solvent sureties.

The National Commission for Women has also taken suo motu cognizance of the allegations and sought an action taken report.

Meanwhile, hundreds of ex-servicemen staged a protest in Bhubaneswar, demanding a strict action against the erring police personnel and seeking a judicial inquiry.

(With inputs from ANI)