Nationwide outrage over custodial abuse pushes Majhi government into damage control mode

Nationwide outrage over alleged custodial abuse of Army officer and sexual harassment of fiancée prompts Odisha Government into action

The alleged custodial abuse of an Army officer and the sexual harassment of his fiancée at a Bhubaneswar police station sparked nationwide outrage, pushing the Mohan Majhi government in Odisha into damage control mode on Friday (September 20, 2024).

While the Congress questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the incident, the principal opposition in Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal demanded a court-monitored special investigation team probe and a judicial inquiry into this grave incident against an Army Major and the lady.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said, “The shocking incident in Odisha has raised a question mark on the law and order situation in the country. An Army officer, who sought assistance from the police, was assaulted, while his fiancée was tortured in custody. This heinous incident is a blot on the entire humanity.”

Congress General Secretary Priyanka 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,” Ms. Vadra said.

Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate accused Mr. Modi of prioritising election campaigning over addressing women’s safety concerns. She pointed out that no woman BJP MP had spoken up on the issue, in stark contrast to their loud protests in West Bengal.

Former Army Chief General 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.”

The social media space is flooded with strong reactions from former defence personnel, intellectuals, journalists, and rights activists, all questioning the conduct of the Odisha police on that fateful night. A video clip, in which the woman herself describes the chilling details of the assault by police personnel, has since gone viral.

‘Shaken the conscience’

Early in the day, 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.”

With the situation going out of control, the Odisha Chief Minister reacted, saying, “The Government has taken a very serious view of the alleged misbehaviour and assault on the serving Army officer and the woman accompanying him inside the Bharatpur police station. The government has initiated legal and departmental action, including suspension of the police officers, against whom allegations have been made.”

“The Crime Branch has been directed to conduct expeditious investigation into the matter. The Government of Odisha has ‘Zero Tolerance’ for crime against women. Women’s security is our utmost priority,” Mr. Majhi said in a ‘X’ post.

Deputy Chief Minister and Woman and Child Welfare Minister Pravati Parida on Friday (September 20, 2024) summoned the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Bhubaneswar to get briefed on the incident and met the woman at the AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, where she was undergoing further treatment for the injuries she received at the police station. “Ms. Parida assured dismissal and jail terms to the culprits and spoke about police reforms. The family feels reassured,” Army sources said.

Criminal proceedings

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch of the Odisha police has registered a case against police officers of the Bharatpur station and initiated criminal proceedings against them.

The Army had sought suo motu intervention of C. S. Singh, Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court. In a letter addressed to Chief Justice, Lieutenant General P.S. Shekhawat, General Officer Commanding, Madhya Bharat Area, said, “The prestige of a serving Army officer and dignity of his fiancée, who also happens to be the daughter of a retired Brigadier, was grossly outraged by police authorities.”

“They not only humiliated the lady but also molested her and also disrespected an Army officer by putting him under custody without any charge for almost 14 hours. The medical inspections of the lady also indicate grave injuries, which point to manhandling by police personnel,” wrote Lt. General Shekhawat.

He pointed out that the Bharatpur police station does not have a CCTV installed which is a violation of Supreme Court direction. “The police actions and their purported statements are manipulative and aimed at concealing the police brutality on the lady and officer,” he stated.

It needs to be mentioned that the Army officer, a Captain in the Sikh Regiment of the Army, along with her fiancée faced severest of abuses when they had gone to file a harassment complaint with the police on September 15, 2024.  

Published - September 20, 2024 10:24 pm IST