Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Sept 18: (Five police officers suspended) Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Y.B. Khurania has suspended five officers, including the former Inspector-In-Charge (IIC) of Bharatpur police station, Dinakrushna Mishra, and three women officers, in connection with allegations of custodial misconduct and the molestation of the fiancée of an Indian Army officer. The suspended officers are Sub-Inspector (SI) Baisalini Panda, Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) Salilamayee Sahoo and Sagarika Rath, and Constable Balaram Hansda.
The suspension follows a major scandal involving the state police. The DGP’s office stated, “Disciplinary proceedings are being initiated against these personnel for their gross misconduct. They will remain under the disciplinary control of the Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, during this period.”
This decision came after the Twin City Commissionerate Police (CP) reassigned Mishra to the office of the DCP, Bhubaneswar, to ensure a fair investigation by the Crime Branch. Deepak Kumar Khandayatray was appointed as the new IIC of the police station, with Sahoo and Hansda also reassigned to different posts.
Following the DGP’s directive, a five-member team from the Crime Branch visited the Bharatpur police station, interrogating the officers for over four hours and reviewing case documents. The Army officer and his fiancée, who had come to register a road rage complaint, alleged that they were brutally assaulted by on-duty police officers. The couple also accused the police of attempting to cover up the incident by falsely accusing them of assaulting and misbehaving with the staff.
