Five Odisha police officers, including the Inspector-in-Charge of Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar, were suspended on Wednesday following allegations of assault on an Army officer and molestation of his female friend.
The incident, which has sparked outrage, occurred when the duo visited the police station to lodge a road rage complaint.
In an order issued by Director General of Police (DGP) Y.B. Khurania, the officers were suspended for gross misconduct.
The suspended officers include Inspector Dinakrushna Mishra, Sub-Inspector Baisalini Panda, Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) Salilamayee Sahoo and Sagarika Rath, and Constable Balaram Hansda.
The suspension follows the initial transfer of three officers—Mishra, Sahoo, and Hansda—on Tuesday after the alleged incident came to light.
According to the DGP’s order, the officers will remain under the disciplinary control of the Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, and will receive special allowances and dearness allowances as per Rule 90 of the Odisha Service Code during their suspension period.
Complaint of road rage
The Army officer, stationed in West Bengal, and his female companion visited the Bharatpur police station early on Sunday morning to file a complaint about a road rage incident.
According to the duo, they had been harassed by local youths.
Tensions escalated when the officer and his friend reportedly quarrelled with police officers over the registration of the First Information Report (FIR).
Allegedly, the Army officer was detained and kept in a lock-up for over 10 hours, while his female friend was taken to a secluded room, where she was assaulted, stripped, and molested by a woman police officer.
The woman was later charged by the police in an FIR, although the details of her alleged offence have not been fully disclosed. The Army officer was released only after the intervention of military authorities.
Indian Army reacts
The Indian Army reacted sharply to the incident, with the Central Command posting a statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “An incident of manhandling of an Army officer by police station, Bharatpur, #Orissa has been reported in the media. #IndianArmy takes a serious view of the incident. Necessary action has been taken up with the state authorities.”
Police’s version
Meanwhile, police sources offered a different account. One officer claimed that the Army officer and his friend arrived at the station in an ‘inappropriate condition’.
According to this version, when asked to submit a written complaint regarding the road rage incident, the duo allegedly refused and misbehaved with the officers on duty, including a female cop.
Crime Branch probe
In light of the seriousness of the allegations, the Odisha Police Crime Branch has launched an investigation.
A five-member team, led by DSP-ranked officer Narendra Kumar Behera, visited the Bharatpur police station on Tuesday to interrogate those involved and review the case documents. The team spent over four hours questioning the officers on duty during the alleged assault.
Legal proceedings
The Orissa High Court has also stepped into the case. On Tuesday, the court ordered that the woman be provided medical treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, and scheduled a hearing on her bail application for Wednesday.
The court further directed that the Inspector-in-Charge of Bharatpur police station, along with the investigating officer, appear before it via virtual mode.
The woman’s lawyer revealed that two petitions have been filed. One is for her bail, and the second seeks to quash the FIR registered against her.
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