Odisha Crime Branch starts probe into alleged assault of Army officer at police station

Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: The Crime branch of Odisha Police on Tuesday started investigation into the alleged assault of an Army officer and 'molestation' of his female friend at a police station in Bhubaneswar.

The Army officer posted in West Bengal and his female friend had approached the Bharatpur police station on Sunday early morning to lodge a complaint of road rage in which they were allegedly harassed by some local youths.

At the police station, the duo picked up a quarrel with cops over the registration of an FIR.

The army officer was allegedly kept in the lockup and his female friend was taken to a secluded room by a woman officer, where she was allegedly assaulted, stripped and molested. The army officer was detained for over 10 hours before being released following intervention by Army authorities. The police, however, booked the female friend of the army officer.

A police officer claimed that the duo reached the police station in an inappropriate condition and when they were asked to lodge a written complaint about the road rage incident, they refused and instead misbehaved with the cops, including a lady cop.

A five-member team of the Crime Branch visited Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday and questioned the police personnel present during the incident on early Sunday morning for over four hours and examined the case documents.

The investigation by the crime branch started hours after DGP Y B Khurania ordered the Crime Branch to probe into allegations and counter-allegation of assault of the army man by the cops.

CID additional director general Arun Bothra in a statement earlier said that Narendra Kumar Behera, a DSP-ranked officer, has taken up the investigation of the case and other cases registered in that connection.

Following the incident, the Central Command, Indian Army, in a post on X said, "An incident of manhandling of an Army officer by police station, Bharatpur, #Orissa has been reported in the media. #IndianArmy takes a serious view of the incidence. Necessary action has been taken up with the state authorities." Meanwhile, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday hearing petitions filed by the female friend of the army officer ordered the police to provide treatment to her at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.

The high court also posted the bail application of the woman on Wednesday and directed the investigating officer along with the Inspector-in-Charge of Bharatpur police station to appear before it on Wednesay on virtual mode.

Speaking to reporters, the woman's lawyer Mohit Mohanty said two petitions had been filed in the high court. The first petition was a bail application and the second one was a review petition seeking quashing of the FIR registered against the woman.