Indian Army officer, fiancée allege custodial assault, molestation by Odisha police; CID takes over probe

By Sunita Iyer | First Published Sep 17, 2024, 8:49 PM IST

Two days after a serving Indian Army officer and his fiancée were embroiled in a confrontation with police officers in Bhubaneswar, the Odisha Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday took charge of the investigation. The development comes amidst conflicting claims, with the couple alleging police misconduct and the police accusing them of assault.

On the night of September 14 and 15, Major Gurvansh Singh and his fiancée were detained following an altercation with police officers from the Bharatpur police station under the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate.

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

Major Singh’s fiancée in was arrested on charges of physically assaulting three female police officers, while Singh was briefly detained and later released. However, the couple, along with family members, have accused the police of manhandling and illegally detaining them when they sought police assistance to report an unrelated incident of hooliganism.

The CID’s Additional Director General, Arun Bothra, confirmed the department’s involvement, stating that a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) had been assigned to investigate the case.

The altercation reportedly began when Major Singh and his fiancée were returning home after visiting her workplace in Bhubaneswar. According to reports quoting sources within the Army, the couple was harassed by a group of miscreants in three cars who allegedly indulged in hooliganism, verbal abuse, and physical assault.

Following the incident, the couple decided to approach the Bharatpur police station to report the crime. They claimed to have noted down one of the car’s registration numbers, hoping for swift action.

However, things took a different turn when the couple reached the police station. According to a HT report quoting an anonymous Army official familiar with the matter, the police on duty refused to take immediate action, insisting that the couple file a written complaint first. The officer alleged that when the couple asked to speak to higher authorities, the police personnel on duty grew agitated, resulting in a heated exchange that eventually led to the arrest of Major Singh’s fiancée and the brief detention of Singh himself.

The situation has since escalated into a contentious issue, with the family of Major Singh’s fiancée accusing the police of abuse of power and physical assault. Her father, retired Brigadier Antaryami Pradhan, who is also the president of an ex-servicemen association, alleged that the police had produced a fabricated medical report from the Capital Hospital to cover up the assault his daughter had suffered at the hands of the officers.

“The police should immediately release the actual medical examination report which would prove how brutally my daughter was assaulted by them,” he said.

“Why the police preferred to rough up and arrest a decorated Army officer when the latter approached them to file a complaint. Why did the police not install CCTV cameras on the station premises which is a mandatory practice as per the Supreme Court ruling. They have not only violated the Supreme Court directive, but also broken rules and regulations at will. They are damaging the name of police and the uniform,” he added.

The police, on their part, have maintained that the couple, particularly Major Singh’s fiancée, acted aggressively and assaulted three female officers on duty. Based on these allegations, she was arrested and produced before a local court, while Singh was granted bail shortly after being detained.

As the case now falls under the CID’s jurisdiction, a more thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the sequence of events and address the counter allegations of police brutality.

For more reliable and latest news