The opposition BJD has announced a six-hour shutdown in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, protesting the alleged custodial assault of an Army officer and his fiancée. The shutdown, or hartal, will take place from 6 am to 12 noon.
BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo, addressing a press conference on Sunday, confirmed the decision to intensify their protest against police brutality.
“The custodial torture and sexual assault incident has shamed Odisha,” said BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra. He added that party chief Naveen Patnaik is deeply shocked by the incident.
On Friday, Patnaik called for a judicial inquiry and a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the matter. The party has also submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking her intervention.
The controversy stems from an incident in which the Army officer and his fiancée were allegedly assaulted at Bharatpur police station when they went to lodge a complaint following a road rage incident. The fiancée claims she was sexually abused while in custody and alleges that the Army officer was illegally detained and tortured.
The bandh is aimed at holding authorities accountable for the police’s alleged misconduct.