Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Police has suspended five officers, including the Inspector In Charge (IIC) of Bharatpur police station, on charges of gross misconduct.
The suspended officers are IIC Dinakrushna Mishra, SI Baisalini Panda, ASI Salilamayee Sahoo, ASI Sagarika Rath, and Constable Balaram Handa, as per a notification from the Odisha Police.
The notification stated, “While the order is in effect, they will be under the disciplinary control of the Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and will receive Subsistence Allowance and Dearness Allowance as permissible under Rule 90 of the Odisha Service Code.”
Previously, the IIC of Bharatpur police station and two other officers were reassigned by the Commissionerate Police to ensure an impartial investigation into the alleged ‘assault and arrest’ of Major Gurvansh Singh of the Indian Army’s Sikh Regiment and his fiancée at the police station.
A Commissionerate Police notification also mentioned that IIC Dinakrushna Mishra has been reassigned to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar.
Assistant Sub Inspector Salilamayee Sahoo of Bharatpur police station has been reassigned to the office of the DCP in Bhubaneswar, and Constable Balaram Hansda has been posted to RO Bhubaneswar. This action by the Commissionerate Police follows an order from the Director General of Police, YB Khurania, for a Crime Branch investigation into the allegations.
Allegations have surfaced that on-duty officers severely assaulted Major Singh and his girlfriend at Bharatpur police station, where they sought to file a road rage complaint. The Indian Army is reportedly addressing the issue with grave concern. According to the allegations, Major Singh and his girlfriend were driving when they encountered and were harassed by some troublemakers. Upon reaching Bharatpur police station for help, they were reportedly mistreated and violently attacked by the police officers, who failed to register their complaints.
The Major was allegedly kept in the lockup and when his girlfriend voiced her protest, she was also brutally assaulted by the police. Even Bharatpur police station IIC allegedly threatened to rape her.
After learning about the development, the Army intervened and subsequently, the Major was released and a medical checkup of his girlfriend was conducted. As per the medical checkup report at Sum Hospital, the woman has been brutally assaulted.
A five-member team of the Crime Branch led by DSP Narendra Kumar Behera learnt to have quizzed the Bharatpur police station staff for four hours. However, the team had to return empty-handed as no CCTV camera was installed in the police station and the IIC was absent.
