BHUBANESWAR : A day after an Army officer was booked and his fiancee arrested for allegedly assaulting female police officials in Bharatpur police station, the Defence establishment sources on Monday accused the cops of highhandedness.
A serving officer and his fiancee were allegedly mistreated after they approached Bharatpur police in Bhubaneswar to report an act of hooliganism which they faced on September 14, said the sources in Defence department.
When the couple went to the police station to lodge a complaint, the cops subjected them to custodial harassment instead of providing them assistance. While the woman accused the police of molestation and physical assault, the officer was detained and mistreated for hours. Apparently, she was also stripped naked by the police personnel, sources in the Defence department alleged.
Though the couple was subjected to ill-treatment in the custody, false reports were being peddled in media against the officer and his fiancee and this was apparently done by the police personnel to prevent disciplinary action against them and to influence the investigation, the sources claimed.
The situation is being monitored closely, and senior Army officials are engaged with civil authorities to ensure that the matter is investigated thoroughly. “The Army is said to be fully supportive of its officer and ensuring that the necessary steps are taken to protect their interests and pursue legal recourse, if required,” the sources said.
However, Commissionerate Police police stuck to its gun and said the couple was in an inebriated state and refused alcohol test. “The army officer and his fiancee arrived at Bharatpur police station at about 2.30 am. They insisted the three on-duty female police officers accompany them to nab the persons who allegedly assaulted them. The officers extended all possible support but the couple was reluctant to lodge a written complaint,” said Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissioner Sanjeeb Panda.
Refuting the woman’s allegations that she was stripped by police personnel, Panda said, the accused bit two female officers and continued to engage in hooliganism on the police station premises till 6 am. “A case was registered against the army officer and his fiancee but only the woman was arrested as she assaulted the cops,” he added.