Prayagraj. In BJP's double engine Odisha rule, horrific details have emerged of the alleged sexual assault of an Army officer and his fiancée at the Bharatpur police station in the capital Bhubaneswar.
Accused of misbehavior by tying hands and legs.
The woman alleged that the policemen tied her hands and legs and made her sit in a room. The female friend of an Army officer, arrested for allegedly misbehaving with the police in Bhubaneswar, on Thursday claimed that she was sexually assaulted after being taken into custody. The incident took place when they had gone to Bharatpur police station to lodge a complaint against the miscreants while returning home on September 14.
The High Court granted bail.
Considering the seriousness of the allegations of the woman arrested by the police, the victim was granted bail by the Odisha High Court on Thursday. The incident sparked outrage across the country, following which the Odisha Police suspended five officers, including the inspector-in-charge of Bharatpur police station.
Details of the incident.
September 14, midnight: A wonderful evening for an army officer and his fiancée, who were returning home in Bhubaneswar, turned into a nightmare. The couple was suddenly chased by a group of goons. Fearing for their safety, the couple ran to the nearest police station. September 15, at 1 am, the scared couple rushed to the police station to lodge a complaint, however, they did not know that bad things were about to happen to them. The victim alleged that she asked to register an FIR and send a patrol vehicle to nab the miscreants but instead of helping her, she was manhandled.
September 15: Between 1.30-3 pm, the couple alleged that they were brutally assaulted by police officers. The woman alleged that she was stripped, sexually assaulted and physically harassed. She was then allegedly dragged by her hair through a corridor. Making serious allegations of sexual assault, the woman said, “After beating me, the women policemen tied my hands and legs and locked me in a room. After some time, a male policeman opened the door. He kicked me on my chest several times one after the other. He removed my pants. After this, the policeman removed his pants and started showing me his private parts. The policeman asked me how long do you want to keep quiet.” Meanwhile, the army officer was put in the lockup.
The army complained to the Odisha government.
After the Army learnt about the incident on September 16, it complained to the Odisha government. On September 17, in response to mounting pressure and outrage, the government handed over the case to the Crime Investigation CID. Acknowledging the gravity of the attack and misbehaviour by the police, a high-level inquiry was ordered. On September 18, as the investigation gathered pace, five police officers involved in the attack were transferred and later suspended. The Orissa High Court also granted bail to the woman who was falsely accused and arrested by the police.
After being released, he narrated his ordeal to the media.
The victim was finally released from custody following a court order on September 19. Upon her release, the victim narrated her harrowing ordeal to the media. She suffered multiple injuries, including a laceration to her jaw. On September 20, an FIR was officially filed against five police officers involved in the sexual and physical assault of the army officer and his fiancée.
Top army officials have spoken to the Odisha DGP and administration regarding the matter. According to the army, detaining a serving army officer and not informing the nearest army unit is illegal.
Strong reaction from opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and former Army Chief.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Army chief Gen (retd) VK Singh and several others reacted strongly to the alleged torture of an Indian Army officer and “sexual assault” of his fiancée inside a police station in Odisha's Bhubaneswar. The Odisha government and police are facing widespread criticism over the alleged mistreatment of the couple by the police.
Opposition leaders and several army veterans criticised the state's Bharatiya Janata Party government over the incident, while Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said his government would take strong action against the culprits. Rahul Gandhi said the “heinous incident” was a shame for humanity, while his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the whole country was “shocked” by what happened at the police station. “The horrific incident in Odisha has raised serious questions about the law and order situation in the country… Crimes against women have become completely unchecked and rampant under the BJP government,” Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi posted on Twitter.
Rahul Gandhi has written- The horrific incident that happened in Odisha has raised serious questions on the law and order of the country. An army officer who went to seek help from the police was brutally beaten up and his fiancée was harassed in custody. This disgusting incident is a shame on the entire humanity. Under the BJP government, crimes against women have become completely uncontrolled and autocratic. When injustice thrives and finds shelter within the government system itself, then from whom should the common citizen expect help?
All the culprits of this incident deserve the strictest legal punishment.
Today, there is a need to present an example of justice and security to the people of India, especially women.
Reacting to the incident, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “The whole country is shocked by the way the police in Odisha brutally and sexually assaulted the fiancée of an army officer who had gone to the police for help.” The Congress general secretary gave another example of Ayodhya in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh. The Congress leader alleged that BJP governments across the country are working on a policy to turn the police from “protector to predator”. Priyanka Gandhi also claimed that “the criminal attitude of the police towards crimes against women actually flourishes by getting protection from those in power.”
Former Army Chief and former BJP MP VK Singh called it “shameful and appalling”. VK Singh said- Odisha Chief Minister should take immediate action against the police personnel and all those who are trying to save “criminals in police uniform”. He also urged everyone to listen to the affected woman, the fiancée of the military officer and the daughter of a retired military officer. VK Singh contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019 on a BJP ticket.
Several other retired army officers also criticised the Odisha government over the issue in social media posts. The woman's father, a retired brigadier, demanded the arrest and dismissal of the policemen for taking the law into their own hands.
The woman, who was arrested for allegedly misbehaving with the Odisha Police and was released on bail on Thursday, claimed that she was sexually assaulted after being taken into custody. “I don’t know what happened, they put him (the Army officer) in the lock-up. When I raised my voice that they cannot detain an Army officer as it is illegal, two women officers started assaulting me,” she said.
The woman said she tried to retaliate and when a female policeman tried to grab her neck, she bit her hand. She alleged that the police personnel then locked her in a room and tied her hands and legs. “Soon after, a male officer came and kicked me on my breasts several times. He pulled down my pants and his own. He showed me his private part and asked me how long I wanted to keep quiet,” the woman alleged.
Before this, in another double engine government of BJP, on the night of 10 September 24, two trainee army officers and their female friends were attacked by armed miscreants near Indore in Madhya Pradesh. According to the police, this attack was done for looting. But the accused later beat up the army trainee officers and also allegedly gangraped their female friend who was with them. After the incident, the accused absconded. One of the accused whose name is coming out in this incident already has criminal cases registered against him. Police has arrested two accused in the case of looting the army trainee officer and allegedly gangraping his female friend. Police is also looking for four other accused in this case.
Both the officers are undergoing training at the Army College and had gone to the Chhoti Jam Firing Range near Jam Gate with their two female friends on Tuesday night. Suddenly, eight armed miscreants, armed with pistols, knives and sticks, surrounded their car. The miscreants first beat up the trainee officers and their female friends badly and then looted their money and valuables.
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