• Source:JND
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Odisha Army Officer Case:  The fiance of an army captain, who was allegedly assaulted and arrested at the Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar on September 15, alleged that she was beaten, thrashed and dragged on the floor before a police officer molested her. Her statement on Thursday, shortly after she was discharged from AIIMS Bhubaneshwar, where she was admitted with several injuries including the dislocation of her jaws.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Odisha High Court ordered her release on bail in the case, she alleged was fabricated against her. The court will take up the matter of quashing the FIR against her and her fiance, the army captain on September 26.

Meanwhile, five Odisha police officers, including the in-charge of Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar, were suspended by the state government pending the investigation into the case.

Odisha Army Officer Case: Victim Recounts Horror

The woman, an advocate who runs a restaurant in Bhubaneswar, on Thursday narrated the ordeal she underwent on the night of September 15. Recalling the events while speaking with the media, she said that after she closed the restaurant and started heading home with her fiance, an Indian army captain, they were allegedly waylaid by a group of local youths, who started fighting with them.

“Somehow, we managed to get away and headed to the Bharatpur Police Station to file a report. When we arrived, only a female police constable was present at the reception. We pleaded with her to register the complaint, as there were several young men in the vehicle, and they could follow us at any moment, so police patrolling would be crucial for our safety. Instead of helping, though, she behaved rudely with me,” she explained.

It was when she identified herself as a lawyer the woman cop became angry and started hurling abuses, she said.

"In the meantime, a police patrol vehicle arrived at the station, carrying several officers, including female ones. Two female officers began pulling my hair and thrashing me. When I begged them to stop, they dragged me down the station corridor. One of them started choking me, so I bit her hand. They took off my jacket, tied my hands with it, and used a scarf to bind my legs before throwing me into a room,” she said.

The army officer's fiancé made serious allegations against the male cops present at the spot, accusing them of sexually molesting her.

"Later, a male officer arrived and repeatedly kicked me in the chest after removing my bra. Then, the police station inspector came, unzipped his trousers, exposed himself, and taunted me, asking if I wanted a physical relationship with him. He also molested me,” the victim said recounting the horrors.

Odisha Army Ripples In Odisha, Social Media

The incident has evoked sharp reactions from all quarters of society, with eminent personalities condemning the incident. Retired Indian Army Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon took to social media X to express his disappointment on the incident.

Sharing a video of the victim, the decorated army officer captioned it, " If this doesn’t shake your conscious .. nothing will. For the first time, I won’t write Jai Hind in my tweet".

Meanwhile, the state government ordered a CID probe and suspended half the police staff at the station, including the in-charge Dinakrushna Mishra. The National Commission for Women also took cognisance of the matter and sought a detailed report from the state DGP on the matter.