Bhubaneswar: A woman, who is a friend of an Army officer and was arrested last week for allegedly assaulting police and damaging property, was released on bail Wednesday. She has now accused the police of sexually harassing her and unlawfully detaining her partner while they attempted to file a complaint at a police station near Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Following the incident, five police officers, including one at the rank of Inspector, have been suspended pending a disciplinary review for “gross misconduct,” as stated by the Odisha Police Headquarters shortly thereafter.
The woman claims she went to Bharatpur Police Station to report that she and her partner had defended themselves against a group of men who attacked them late Sunday night after leaving her restaurant around 1 a.m. However, she stated that only a woman constable in civilian clothes was present at the station, and she refused assistance.
The woman recounted that the constable verbally assaulted her, and soon male officers arrived, demanding a written account from her partner. According to her, they then proceeded to lock up the Army officer. “I protested that they could not detain an Army officer as it was illegal, and then two female officers assaulted me,” she reported, claiming that she fought back, but was subdued and tied up with her jacket.
She further alleged that a male officer later opened the door and physically assaulted her, as well as making obscene gestures. The police, on the other hand, assert that the woman and her partner, who is with the 22 Sikh Regiment in Kolkata, attacked an on-duty officer while intoxicated and damaged property within the station. She was subsequently arrested and granted bail by the Odisha High Court.
Local reports indicated a liquor bottle was discovered in the Army officer’s vehicle. However, under the orders of Director-General of Police YB Khurania, a complaint was lodged at Chandaka Police Station on Thursday to investigate the woman’s allegations of harassment by a group while returning home on the night of September 15.
The woman received medical care at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the city; videos circulated online depicted her in a neck brace and with her right arm in a sling, suggesting a fracture, as she spoke tearfully to reporters. Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has taken notice of the incident and requested a report from the police, stating that “urgent disciplinary action is expected.”
The Odisha Police’s Crime Branch has been tasked with investigating the matter.
