Assault of officer, fiancée: Opposition, Army veterans slam Odisha govt

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with former Army chief, General (retired) VK Singh, who is now a BJP MP, strongly condemned the alleged torture of an Army officer and the “sexual assault” of his fiancée at a police station in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The state government and police have come under fire for the incident, which has sparked widespread outrage.

As the Opposition and several Army veterans slammed the BJP-led government in Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi assured that stringent action would be taken against those responsible.

‘Heinous incident’

Rahul called the event a “heinous incident” and a "shame on humanity", while Priyanka said the entire nation was “shocked” by what took place at Bharatpur police station. VK Singh labelled the incident “shameful and horrendous”.

The Odisha Police Crime Branch has filed charges against five officers, including the inspector in charge of Bharatpur police station, all of whom have been suspended since the incident became public on Wednesday.

Rahul, posting on X, expressed concern over the law-and-order situation in the country and called for the strictest punishment for those involved. He stated that crimes against women have spiralled out of control under the BJP government.

‘From protectors to predators’

Priyanka added that police brutality towards women in Odisha exemplifies how BJP governments across the country are turning the police "from protectors to predators". She argued that the police's criminal behaviour is encouraged by those in power.

VK Singh urged the Odisha’s chief minister to take immediate action against those responsible, condemning attempts to protect "criminals in police uniform". He also called for attention to the testimony of the Army officer’s fiancée.

NCW takes notice

The woman, arrested and later bailed for allegedly misbehaving with police, claimed she was sexually assaulted while in custody. She described how after being taken into custody, two female officers assaulted her. Later, a male officer kicked her in the breasts multiple times, lowered his trousers, and made sexual advances towards her.

The woman’s father, a retired Brigadier, has called for the dismissal and arrest of the officers. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also taken notice of the incident and has demanded a report from the state DGP.

BJP calls for judicial probe

Chief Minister Majhi, currently on a tour of his home district, Keonjhar, promised strict action against the culprits. Deputy CM Pravati Parida, in charge of women and child development, visited the woman at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, where she is receiving treatment.

BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik condemned the incident as "shocking" and called for a judicial probe, while Congress MLA Sofia Firdous, who also met the victim, described the incident as "absolutely reprehensible", demanding severe punishment for the guilty.