HC chief justice’s intervention sought

TNN / Sep 21, 2024, 04:40 IST

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Bhubaneswar: Lieutenant General PS Sekhawat, general officer commanding (GOC) of Madhya Bharat area in the Indian Army, has sought urgent intervention of Orissa high court’s chief justice regarding the alleged custodial torture of an Army officer and his fiancée at Bharatpur police station.
In a letter addressed to the chief justice, Sekhawat elucidated that a grave and deplorable incident transpired at Bharatpur police station on Sept 15, wherein the prestige and honour of a serving Army officer were demeaned, and the modesty and dignity of his fiancé, who is also the daughter of a retired brigadier, were grossly violated and outraged by police authorities.
“The unfortunate and distressing incident occurred when the Army officer, accompanied by his fiancé, visited the police station to lodge a formal complaint against miscreants who had misbehaved with the couple at approximately 1 am on the day of the incident,” the letter stated. Sekhawat wrote that instead of providing the expected protection and support, the police officers on duty conducted themselves in a manner that was unbecoming of their position and responsibilities.
“They not only humiliated the lady, but also molested her and disrespected the Army officer by putting him under custody without any charge for almost 14 hours. The medical inspection of the lady also indicates grave injuries, which point to manhandling by the police personnel,” he stated. Sekhawat highlighted the fact that the police station does not have a CCTV camera. TNN

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