Bhubaneswar: The Indian Army official and his fiancée, who were allegedly harassed by a group of youths and then subjected to physical and psychological torture at the Bharatpur police station, appeared before the judicial commission today as part of an investigation into alleged custodial torture.
As per sources, a lawyer represented students involved in connection with the alleged harassment of the Major and his fiancee also appeared before the commission, led by retired High Court Judge Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash.
On the other hand, suspended Inspector In-Charge Dinakrushna Mishra and four other police personnel implicated in the case failed to appear before the judicial commission. Instead, their lawyers represented them during the proceedings.
The commission has summoned 16 individuals to testify, but will only begin hearing their testimonies after verifying the over 500 affidavits submitted in connection with the Bharatpur Police Station case.
This development comes as part of a broader investigation into allegations of police misconduct, where the Army officer linked to the 22nd Sikh regiment in Jalpaiguri of West Bengal, and his fiancée have been harassed by youths and subsequently subjected to physical and psychological torture by the police on September 15. The couple had visited the station to file a complaint about a road rage incident, but instead, were allegedly beaten up by police officials.
