Odisha custodial ‘sexual assault’: Suspended police SHO to undergo polygraph test

Five police officers were suspended after alleged assault on army officer's fiancée led to political slugfest between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties.

The crime branch of Odisha Police will conduct a polygraph test on the station house officer (SHO) Dinakrushna Mishra of the Bharatpur, who has been suspended over the alleged sexual assault case on fiancée of an Indian Army officer on September 19, reported India Today.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) women's wing members hold placards as they stage a sit-in protest in front of the Raj Bhavan against the alleged sexual assault on a woman in police custody and demanding a court-monitored SIT probe and judicial inquiry into the alleged torture of an army officer and his fiancée at Bharatpur Police Station, in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. (ANI Photo)

Dinakrushna Mishra among five other officers were suspended after the incident sparked a political slugfest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Odisha and Opposition parties such as the Congress and BJD. Sub-Inspector Baisalini Panda, assistant sub-inspectors Salilamayee Sahoo and Sagarika Rath, and constable Balaram Handa are four other officers under scrutiny for the incident.

Police sources claimed that Mishra has consented to undergo the polygraph test, and the crime branch will file an application in a local court to seek permission for the test.

In a related development, the Odisha government on Wednesday sanctioned the deployment of personal security officers (PSO) to provide security to the Army officer and his fiancée, PTI reported. The decision was taken after the victim along with her father and some ex-army men met chief minister Mohan Majhi at the state secretariat on Tuesday.

The victim told the CM that she could face threats from the police because of the case. She also expressed relief and said she was hopeful of securing justice from the judicial probe ordered by the state government.

What happened?

The woman claimed that they approached Bharatpur police station on September 19 to complain against a group of people who tried to pick a fight with them on early hours of September 15 in Bhubaneswar.

The police allegedly took offence to her claim that it was their duty to register a complaint even at odd hours, as she was a lawyer. The woman alleged that the situation quickly escalated and led to sexual assault when she questioned the police action to detain her husband over the incident.

(With agency inputs)