In a chilling incident in Odisha, an Army officer’s female friend has come forward with serious allegations against police officers of sexual harassment and illegal detention when she tried to file a complaint. This incident occurred three days after she was arrested on charges of obstructing police and causing vandalism of property last week, and was granted bail on Wednesday.

The Odisha Police has suspended five officers including Inspector in Charge (IIC) Dinakrushna Mishra following allegations of assault and harassment by an Indian Army officer and his fiancee. The others suspended include Sub-inspector Baisalini Panda, Assistant Sub-inspector Salilamayee Sahoo and Sagarika Rath, and Constable Balaram Handa.

Women Faces Assault At Police Station

According to reports, the victim went to the Bharatpur police station seeking help after she and her fiancee fought off a gang of men who attacked them late Sunday night. The woman alleged that upon reaching the police station, she found only one female constable at the reception in a civil dress who refused to help and verbally abused her. The male officers who arrived at the scene demanded a written complaint and reportedly put her army friend in jail. When the victim started recording them, the female officers started beating her.

Later, a male officer came and kicked on my face multiple times,” she said. She also mentioned other chilling details like the female cop forcibly removed her pants and the male officer flashed his private part to her after dropping his pants.

The reports revealed that when she objected to her partner’s illegal detention, the lady officers manhandled her.

Investigations Underway

The woman received medical treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS) in Bhubaneshwar. This incident has prompted the National Commission for Women to take immediate notice of the case. The Odisha Police’s Crime Branch has been instructed to conduct a thorough probe into the matter.