Odisha Government Investigates Alleged Assault at Bharatpur Police Station

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 20: The Odisha government has reiterated its ‘zero tolerance’ policy on violence against women following allegations of an assault on an Army officer and his fiancée at the Bharatpur Police Station in Bhubaneswar. The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has initiated an inquiry into the matter.

The CMO issued a statement saying, “The government has taken the allegations of misbehaviour and assault against an army officer and a woman accompanying him in Bharatpur police station very seriously. As soon as the incident came to the notice of the government, necessary steps were taken as per law along with departmental action.”

The incident allegedly occurred on September 15, when the Army Major and his fiancée went to the Bharatpur police station to report harassment by miscreants while returning from a hotel late at night. Instead of addressing their concerns, the police allegedly tortured the Major and the woman, even incarcerating her without justification.

The CMO further stated that the Crime Branch of the state has been directed to submit a report on the incident. “As the incident is very sensitive, the Crime Branch has been directed to investigate the incident immediately and submit a report within the specified time frame. As soon as the investigation report is received, the culprits will be punished as per law. The government has a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against violence against women and harassment of women, will not be tolerated in any form,” added the statement.

Former Chief Minister of Odisha and Leader of the Opposition, Naveen Patnaik, also called for a judicial probe into the incident and criticised the BJP government for stopping certain initiatives for the people. Patnaik said, “Regarding the violence that was meted out to both of them and the alleged sexual assault on the major’s fiancée, we demand a full judicial inquiry into this matter, and action must be taken very quickly.”

Patnaik criticised the current BJP government, saying that they have had sufficient time to address public concerns. He recalled how, during his administration, he and his ministers would address complaints against the police. “As they (the BJP) have said, they have been in government for more than 100 days and have had enough time to address these issues. During our tenure, we implemented a system where I and my ministers would call police stations to ask if there were any complaints by people who visited the police station,” he said.

Earlier, the woman’s father demanded the termination and imprisonment of the police officers involved in the alleged assault.