The Odisha police have arrested seven individuals in connection with the alleged assault of an Army officer and his fiancée. The incident occurred late at night on September 15 when the couple was returning from a hotel.
Krushna Prasad Dash, Additional DCP of Bhubaneswar, confirmed to ANI that a case has been registered under multiple sections of the law. “During the investigation, we recovered a vehicle and 11 mobile phones from the accused. Seven of them have been arrested and forwarded to the court. We are also examining video and audio clips related to the incident,” Dash stated.
The arrested individuals include Rakesh Naik, Abhilash Sawant, Aman Kumar, Aditya Ranjan Behra, Akash Padhiyari, Harish Manta, and Ashish Kumar. The investigation is ongoing.
The couple had initially approached the Bharatpur police station to file a complaint about harassment by some miscreants. However, instead of receiving assistance, they allegedly faced further mistreatment from the police, with reports claiming the woman was unjustly sent to jail.
In response to the incident, the Odisha government reiterated its ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards violence against women. The Chief Minister’s Office released a statement emphasizing that necessary steps and departmental actions had been taken following the allegations. As part of the response, five police officials, including the Inspector in Charge of Bharatpur, have been suspended, and a Crime Branch investigation has been ordered.
Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has called for a judicial inquiry into the matter and criticized the current BJP government for neglecting key initiatives for the people. The situation has sparked outrage and demands for accountability from both the public and political leaders.
(With ANI inputs)