5 students held, cops suspended in Odisha case of attack on Army officer, molestation of his fiancée
Odisha Police Friday detained seven people, including five engineering students in connection with the scuffle involving an Army officer late Sunday, which eventually led to his alleged assault and his fiancée’s molestation in police custody, in Bhubaneswar.
[The woman sharing her ordeal with the media shortly after being discharged from AIIMS Bhubaneswar where she was being treated for several injuries including dislocation of her jaws.]
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police Friday detained seven people, including five engineering students in connection with the scuffle involving an Army officer late Sunday, which eventually led to his alleged assault and his fiancée’s molestation in police custody, in Bhubaneswar.
Upon questioning, the detained suspects said the officer was driving recklessly and hurled abuses at them when they overtook the couple's vehicle, which led to the scuffle.
"We are verifying the claims", cops said, according to The Times of India.
Earlier, the Army officer in his complaint to Odisha Crime Branch had said 10-12 men in three vehicles waylaid and assaulted him and passed lewd remarks at his fiancée.
The incident took place on September 14, 2024 midnight when the Army officer was returning home with his Bhubaneswar. The couple was suddenly chased by a group of unidentified goons. Fearing for their safety, they rushed towards the nearest police station.
But what happened at the police station has shocked the entire nation. According to the details shared with the media, instead of registering their complaint the Police thrown the Army officer in lockup while his fiancée was stripped, sexually assaulted and physically tortured.
Sharing the chilling details of her ordeal at Bharatpur station, the woman said her legs were tied with a scarf and her hands were bound by her own jacket. She was then allegedly dragged through the corridors by her hair before being molested and flashed by a police inspector, according to India Today.
भारतीय सेना पूरे देश की सुरक्षा करती है लेकिन कुछ अपराधिक मानसिकता और power के नशे चूर पुलिस वाले भारतीय सेना के मेजर और उसकी मंगेतर के साथ जिस तरह का व्यवहार किया वो वाकई शर्मनाक और घृणित है।
— Anurag Jareda (@Anurag_4M) September 20, 2024
जब पुलिस वाले crime करते है उनको केवल सस्पेंड किया जाता है , उनको जेल में क्यूं नही… pic.twitter.com/Cr6Up893aG
Nationwide Outrage
After the Army learnt about the incident, it raised the matter with the Odisha government. The incident also sparked nationwide outrage. Ex-Army Chief General and former Union Minister V. K. Singh in an ‘X’ post said:
“Everyone must listen to fiancée of Army officer and daughter of retired Army officer — what happened to her in PS Bharatpur in Odisha is shameful and horrendous. Odisha CM should take immediate action against the police personnel and all who are trying to shield the criminals in police uniform.”
Slamming the BJP over the rising crimes against women, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said that wherever the BJP was in power, it was working on the policy to turn the police from “protectors to predators”.
“The audacity to deliver justice on their own is now promoting crime, atrocities and inhumanity. This should stop. Strictest action should be taken in this case,” Priyanka said.
Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said:
“The way an Army Major and a lady were treated in Bharatpur police station is shocking and beyond comprehension. The manner in which police have allegedly treated them has shaken the conscience of the country.”
Following the mounting pressure and outrage, the BJP government transferred the case to the Crime Investigation Department (CID). A high-level investigation was ordered, acknowledging the severity of the assault and misconduct by the police.
As the investigation gained momentum, five police officers involved in the assault were transferred and subsequently suspended. The Odisha High Court also granted bail to the woman who was wrongfully charged and arrested by the police, according to India Today.
The Odisha attack on Army officer and sexual assault of his fiancée came to light days after two trainee Army officers were robbed while one of their female companions were gang-raped near Chhoti Jam in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh.
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