Bhubaneswar:

A day after demanding a court-monitored SIT probe and a judicial inquiry into the alleged sexual assault of a woman in custody, Opposition BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday said “women are not safe even inside police stations.” Mr Patnaik made these remarks while addressing party leaders from Kendrapara and Gajapati districts at the BJD’s state headquarters, Sankha Bhavan.

He expressed concern, saying, “It’s sad that women are not safe even inside police stations in Bhubaneswar and government servants are beaten up in Raj Bhavan. It seems there’s no law and order in the state.”

This comment was in reference to the September 15 incident involving the alleged torture of an army officer and the sexual harassment of his fiancée at Bharatpur police station and the physical assault on an on-duty government employee allegedly by the governor’s son earlier.

Mr Patnaik, the Leader of the Opposition in Odisha Assembly, also addressed the BJD Scheduled Caste Cell, urging party leaders to raise awareness about the “false” poll promises made by the BJP concerning the Subhadra Yojana, pension and allowances, and free electricity.

The BJD has consistently claimed that the BJP has failed to fulfill its promises to the electorate. Despite pledging to provide Rs 50,000 to all women in the state within two years, the BJP later denied many women this opportunity, the party claimed. It said that women aged 21 to 60 were selected as beneficiaries of the Subhadra Yojana.

Mr Patnaik instructed party leaders to inform the public about the BJP’s “lies” regarding promises of 300 units of free electricity and a Rs 3,500 old-age pension, emphasising the need to highlight these issues among people.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhubaneswar:

An Army officer’s friend – arrested last week and released on bail Wednesday on charges of assaulting cops and vandalising police property – has now said she was sexually harassed, and her partner illegally jailed, while trying to file a complaint at a police station near Odisha’s Bhubaneswar.

Five cops, including an Inspector-rank officer, have been suspended pending a disciplinary procedure for “gross misconduct”, Odisha Police HQ said hours after the alleged incident.

The woman has said she sought to file a complaint at the Bharatpur Police Station after she and her friend fought off a group of men who attacked them in public late Sunday night, “when I (she was accompanied by her partner) was going home after closing my restaurant at 1 am”.

However, “when we reached the police station only a woman constable was there, in civil dress”, and she refused to help us, the Army officer’s friend told reporters.

According to the woman, after the constable began verbally abusing her, a few more cops, male officers this time, arrived on the scene and asked her partner for a written statement.

The male policemen then allegedly threw the Army officer into a jail cell.

“I don’t know what happened… they put him in the lock-up. When I raised my voice to say they cannot put an Army officer in custody as it is unlawful, two female officers assaulted me,” she claimed, adding she fought back and bit one of them but was overpowered, tied up with her jacket, and left in a room.

“After some time, a male officer opened the doors and kicked on my breasts several times…” she said, alleging he also dropped his pants and forcibly removed hers.

She also said the Inspector-in-charge of the police station made obscene gestures.

The police, meanwhile, have said the woman and her friend, who is attached to the 22 Sikh Regiment in Kolkata, had attacked an on-duty officer while drunk and also vandalised computers and furniture inside the police station. She was arrested and granted bail by the Odisha High Court this week.

Local media have said a liquor bottle was found inside the Army officer’s car.

However, under the direction of Director-General of Police YB Khurania, a complaint was also filed Thursday at the Chandaka Police Station, which will investigate the woman’s claim of being waylaid and harassed by hooligans while returning home late night on September 15.

The woman received treatment for injuries at the state-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the city; videos shared online showed her in a neck brace and with her right arm in a sling, indicating a fracture, crying and talking to reporters.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has taken suo moto cognisance of this incident and demanded a report from the police. “Urgent disciplinary action is expected…”

Odisha Police’s Crime Branch has been ordered to investigate this case.

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