By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Lieutenant General Commanding and Colonel of the Indian Army’s Mechanised Infantry Regiment of Madhya Bharat area, Lt General PS Shekhawat in a letter to Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh, Chief Justice of Odisha High Court has pleaded for Suo Moto intervention of the Court into the alleged molestation and physical torture of Indian Army officer of the Sikh Regiment, Major Gurvansh Singh’s Fiancée Ankita Pradhan in Bhubaneswar’s Bharatpur Police Station. The victim Ankita Pradhan happens to be the daughter of a retired Army Brigadier. This was for the firs time Indian Army seeking High Court intervention against Odisha Police , the letter of which is available with www.indianewsdiary.com.
“ I am writing to bring to your attention , a grave incident that occurred at Bharatpur Police station in Bhubaneswar on September 15 , where the prestige of a serving Army officer was demeaned and the modesty and dignity of his fiancé , who also happens to be the daughter of a retired Brigadier , was grossly outraged by the police authorities,” Lieutenant General Commanding and Colonel of the Indian Army’s Mechanised Infantry Regiment of Madhya Bharat area, Lt General PS Shekhawat wrote to Odisha High Court Chief Justice.
The Senior Army Officer , who holds AVSM and SM, further wrote “ The unfortunate incident took place when the Army Officer (Captain) along with his fiancé went to police station to file a complaint against miscreants who has misbehaved with the couple at approximately 1 AM of the day of incident. Instead of extending the expected protection and support , the officers on duty acted in a manner unbecoming of their position,”
Lt General Shekhawat further wrote “ They not only humiliated the lady but also molested her and also disrespected the Army Officer by putting him under custody without any charge for almost 14 hours. The medical inspection of the lady also indicates grave injuries, which point to manhandling by the police personnel. The Bharatpur Police station does not have a CCTV installed which is violative of Supreme Court directions. The police actions and their purported statements are manipulated and aimed at concealing the police brutality on the lady and the officer,”
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said his government will take stringent action against those involved in the alleged torture of an army officer and sexual assault of his fiancee at a police station in the police station.
“The state government has already ordered a Crime Branch inquiry into the incident, suspended the accused police personnel and also registered a case against them,” the Chief Minister told media persons in Keonjhar. Inspector-in-charge of the police station Dinakrushna Mishra and others may face more action.
The Government has taken a very serious view of the alleged misbehaviour and assault on an Army officer and the woman accompanying him inside Bharatpur Police Station, Bhubaneswar. The government has initiated legal and departmental action including suspension of the police officers, against whom allegations have been made, Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.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, the CMO said.
Leader of Opposition and BJD President Naveen Patnaik demanded a court-monitored SIT probe and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
State Commission for Women (SCW) has started investigation into the incident.SCW Chairperson Minati Behera herself visited the Bharatpur Police Station on Friday to inquire about the incident.
National Commission for Women has also taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and sought an action taken report from the Odisha DGP.
Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has registered a case against five police officials of Bharatpur police station for allegedly assaulting the army officer and his friend on that night. The case was register on the basis of a written complaint lodged by the army major.
