Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Odisha Assembly and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident wherein Bharatpur police beat up an Army Major and sexually assaulted his woman friend in the police station on the night of September 14.
The LoP’s statement comes in the wake of Major Gurvansh Singh’s fiancée Ankita Pradhan narrating the horrific details of her torment at the Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar where she was allegedly stripped, kicked on the chest and molested, before the media on Thursday.
Condemning the actions of the Bharatpur police personnel, Naveen wrote on his X handle, “The way an Army officer 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. This has happened to a serving Army Officer and a lady within Odisha (sic).”
The former Chief Minister and president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) hoped that the BJP government will give exemplary punishment to the guilty. “Our government had the system of Mo Sarkar wherein the Chief Minister, Ministers and senior officers would invite citizens for feedback on their visits to government offices, including police stations and hospitals. This BJP government has put an end to the pro-people initiative of Mo Sarkar and the results are there for everyone to see,” Naveen said.
According to the LoP, the reluctance of the BJP government to act against the Governor’s son in a serious case of assault has emboldened others. “I urge this government to initiate action against the Governor’s son. I demand a court-monitored SIT probe and a judicial inquiry into this grave incident against an Army Major and the lady,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Crime Branch, which is investigating the incident, has registered a criminal case against suspended inspector-in-charge (IIC) Dinakrushna Mishra of Bharatpur police station and four other cops for the alleged assault on the Army officer and molestation of his fiancée in custody.
