Odisha cop suspended for making pregnant woman walk for 3km

The woman developed complications due to the 3km walk in the heat. she and her husband then lodged a complaint with the sub-divisional police officer

Updated on: Mar 29, 2021, 11:11:45 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A woman police officer in tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district has been suspended on charges of making a pregnant woman walk for 3km during helmet-checking.

Mayurbhanj Superintendent of Police (SP) Smith Parmar suspended Sarat police station in-charge Rina Baksala on Sunday.

Police said one Bikram Baruli was riding a motorcycle with his wife, who is eight months’ pregnant, on Sunday when Baksala stopped him and fined him for not wearing a helmet. Baruli said he would pay the penalty online, but the officer forced him and his wife to walk with the motorcycle to the Sarat police station.

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The woman developed complications due to the 3km walk in the heat. The couple then lodged a complaint with the sub-divisional police officer.

The Mayurbhanj SP said Baksala has been suspended for gross misconduct and dereliction of duty and a departmental probe will also be initiated against her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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