Days after the shocking incident, Army Major Gurbant Singh’s fiancée Miss Ankita came infront of the media and narrated her ordeal.
Being on a wheel-chair, Miss Ankita, on Thursday, said: “Some unknown people waylaid us while we were returning home after closing my restaurant at around 1 AM on September 15. Somehow, we managed to escape and went to Bharatpur Police Station to file a case.”
“There was nobody except a lady police constable. We requested her to register my complaint as there were several youths in the vehicle and they might follow us at any time and so police patrolling would be helpful for us. However, instead of registering my complaint, she misbehaved with me,” she added.
Ankita said, “I even identified myself as a lawyer and said her that it was her duty to register an FIR. But she got angry further and misbehaved with me. In the meantime, a police patrolling vehicle with several cops including female police reached the police station.”
“They asked Gurbant to file the written complaint. However, I don’t know why they put him in the lock-up all of a sudden. I said that they cannot put an Army officer in the custody and it is unlawful,” she said.
“In the meantime, two female officers pulled my hair and started beating me up. I continued to request them to stop. However, they dragged me on the corridor of the police station. In my self-defense, I bite hand of one of them when she was squeezing my neck. They removed my jacket and tied my both the hands with it and they used a scarf to tie my both the legs and put me in a room,” she continued.
“Later, a male officer came and continuously kicked on my chest after removing my bra. When another male police officer came, the female officer removed my pants and the male officer also lowered his pants and molested me,” she said while weeping.
Former Odisha Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Friday demanded a judicial probe into the alleged sexual assault of the fiancée of an Army Major inside the Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar.
Describing the incident as highly condemnable, the BJD President stated, "We demand a full judicial probe into the unfortunate incident, and swift, strong action must be taken against the police personnel involved."
Odisha DGP Y.B. Khurania on Wednesday suspended five police personnel, including the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Bharatpur Police Station, in connection with the alleged assault of Army Major Gurvansh Singh and his fiancée on Sunday.
The five suspended officers include Bharatpur Police Station IIC Dinakrushna Mishra, Sub-Inspector (SI) Baisalini Panda, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Salilamayee Sahoo, ASI Sagarika Rath, and Constable Balaram Handa.
The DGP had already ordered a Crime Branch inquiry into the incident after the Indian Army intervened and took serious note of the assault on the Army Major and his fiancée.
The Crime Branch has since filed a criminal case and summoned the five suspended officers for interrogation. The case was registered following a formal complaint lodged by Major Gurvansh Singh of the Sikh Regiment with the Crime Branch.
Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also criticized the incompetence of the BJP government in handling law and order in the state, citing this incident as well as a recent case involving the alleged assault of a government official by the son of the Odisha Governor.
Patnaik expressed deep concern, stating, "It deeply saddens me that the fiancée of an Army Major was sexually assaulted inside a police station. This incident highlights the inefficiency of the BJP government, which has completed 100 days in power."
The incident occurred on September 15 around 1 AM when Major Singh and his fiancée went to Bharatpur Police Station to lodge a complaint against some youths who had harassed them while they were returning home.
On Wednesday, several retired Army personnel staged a rally outside the Commissioner of Police’s office, demanding a judicial inquiry into the incident. They also called for criminal charges against the accused police officers and stern action to be taken.
In his complaint, Major Gurvansh Singh alleged that female police officers abused his fiancée, dragged her into a cell, tied her hands, and brutally assaulted her. He further claimed that when he protested, he was also beaten and locked up.
However, police arrested the Army Major's fiancée, accusing her of attacking female police officers inside the station and subsequently forwarding her to court.
Police sources claimed that the Army Major and his fiancée had misbehaved with the officers when asked to register their complaint, a claim dismissed by Army personnel as false and fabricated to cover up the assault.
On Thursday, the Orissa High Court granted bail to the Army Major's fiancée and questioned the behavior and actions of the police during her detention.
Following the Army's intervention, Major Singh was released, and a medical examination of his fiancée was conducted after he alleged that she had been sexually assaulted inside the police station.
After a health check-up at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Major Singh's fiancée told reporters that she had been physically and sexually assaulted by on-duty police officers, including the IIC.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) from Odisha DGP Y.B. Khurania on the incident.
Former State Chief Secretary Bijaya Patnaik questioned why no action had been taken against the accused police officers even after a Crime Branch inquiry was ordered. He further stated that mere suspension was insufficient for such a heinous crime and demanded strict punishment for those involved.
