Orissa HC to govt: What is the plan to protect dignity of armed forces

BHUBANESWAR: Describing the alleged custodial torture of an Army officer and his fiancee as 'disturbing', the Orissa high court on Monday asked the state govt about steps it plans to take to protect the dignity of defence personnel in the wake of the Sept 15 incident at Bharatpur police station.
"The court would like to know from the state govt as to what steps it intends to take to protect the dignity of the personnel of armed forces in different situations," a bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho said.
The court was hearing a PIL registered suo motu on the basis of a letter written to the chief justice by Lt Gen PS Shekhawat, general officer commanding Madhya Bharat Area, on Sept 18.
Taking a stern view that an Army officer and his friend entered a police station with grievances and returned with criminal cases lodged against them, the HC noted that the incident happened inside a police station with an Army officer who was on leave.
C hief Justice Singh asked, “Had there been an IPS officer going to the police station in the same situation, should it have happened?” Singh added, “Only because he is an Army officer, he doesn’t have those powers…” Chief Justice Singh said there are two aspects.
One, he said steps have to be taken to carry out directions issued by the Supreme Court and install CCTVs in all police stations, given that Bharatpur police station had no CCTVs. Secondly, “you will have to take some policy decisions as to how you will treat Army personnel.
They come from the borders and this is the treatment they get,” the chief justice told the govt. Chief Justice Singh, however, clarified that whatever observations were being made should not affect the investigation. “It (investigation) is the domain of the investigative agencies. What happened is an eye opener.
You have to take remedial measures. It’s kind of a clarion call to all of you to take appropriate action,” he said. The HC bench also noted that the two persons entered the police station apparently not to commit any crime, but to lodge a complaint.
“What happened inside the police station is a mystery and is being investigated. It is, however, surprising that they came out with an FIR registered against them alleging offence of attempt to murder,” the chief justice said.