Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today said his government will take stringent action against those involved in the alleged torture of an army officer and sexual assault of his fiancee at a police station.
“The state government has already ordered a Crime Branch inquiry into the incident, suspended the accused police personnel and also registered a case against them,” the Chief Minister told media persons in Keonjhar.
The CM, who is also in charge of the Home Department, said his government would not hesitate to take action against the culprits involved in the case.
“The government has been taking all steps required in the case. There should be no worries over it. The government is fully aware about the incident and will take strong action in the case,” Majhi said.
The Government has taken a very serious view of the alleged misbehaviour and assault on an Army officer and the woman accompanying him inside Bharatpur Police Station, Bhubaneswar. The government has initiated legal and departmental action including suspension of the police officers, against whom allegations have been made, Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a social media post.
The Crime Branch has been directed to conduct expeditious investigation into the matter. The Government of Odisha has ‘Zero Tolerance’ for crime against women. Women’s security is our utmost priority, the CMO said.
The statement in this regard came hours after Leader of Opposition and BJD President Naveen Patnaik demanded a court-monitored SIT probe and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile, taking suo-motu cognisance of the alleged sexual harassment of fiancée of a army officer in Bharatpur Police Station, State Commission for Women (SCW) has started investigation into the incident.
SCW Chairperson Minati Behera herself visited the Bharatpur Police Station on Friday to inquire about the incident. She held discussions with the staff and collected some case-related documents.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the police station, Behera said, “We have suo-motu taken the case and started an inquiry. As the crime branch has taken over the case, they took away the documents from the police. So, we have collected whatever documents available with the Bharatpur Police Station.”
Behera said she will visit the victim’s house to hold a discussion with them. The commission will also visit the office of crime branch to collect required documents and discuss with the investigating officials, she informed.
After collecting required documents, a committee will be formed to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. The probe report will be submitted to the government with necessary recommendations apart from holding discussion with the DGP, the SCW chairperson added.
Notably, the National Commission for Women has also taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and sought an action taken report from the Odisha DGP.
On the other hand, Chandaka police has detained some youths, who are suspected to be involved in the road rage incident that happened to the army officer and his friend on that night.