Molestation on Army Major’s fiancé in Odisha: Army Lt. Gen. seeks Orissa HC Chief Justice’s intervention

Bhubaneswar: The case of police assault on Indian Army officer of the Sikh Regiment Major Gurvansh Singh and molestation to his fiancee at Bharatpur Police Station recently has gone one more step further with General Officer Commanding & Colonel of the MECH INF REGT, Lieutenant General PS Sekhawat, seeking Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh’s intervention.

Lieutenant General PS Sekhawat, in the letter, said, “I am writing to bring your attention, a grave incident that occurred at Bharatpur police station Bhubaneswar on 15th September 2024, where the prestige of a serving Army Officer was demeaned and the modesty and dignity of his fiancé, who is also happened to be the daughter of a retired Brigadier, was grossly outraged by the police authorities.”

“The unfortunate incident took place when the Army Officer along with his fiancé went to the police station to file a complaint against miscreants who had misbehaved with the couple at approximately 0100 hours on the day of the incident. Instead of exending the expe4cted protection and support, the officers on duty acted in a manner unbecoming of their position. They not only humiliated the lady but also molested her and also 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. The Bharatpur Police Station does not have a CCTV installed with is violative of Hon’ble Supreme Court’s directions. The police action and their purported statements are manipulative and aimed at concealing the police brutality on the lady and the officer,” the letter added.

The Lieutenant General further said, “Sir, the action of the police personnel have deeply shaken the faith of the victims and also the military fraternity as a whole in the law enforcement system. This is evident from the wide coverage of the incident, not only on the main stream media but also the outrage of netizens across all social media platforms. While the officer was later released on intervention of the military authorities on the night of 15 September, the lady is still in judicial custody. Her medical examination was done at Institute of Medical Science and SUM Hospital Bhubaneswar, which indicates reasonable injuries, but a subsequent medical done at Capital Hospital Bhubaneswar was manipulated and shows no such injures. The manipulated medical reports were produced before the Judicial Magistrate, thus, forging evidence as well as misleading the judiciary. Such blatant manipulation and tampering of evidence is violation of her basic rights. The arbitrary manner in which in which the lady was put though medical examination as also the hastily conducted hearing in front of the Magistrate on 15 September are indicative of gross travesty of justice and to an extent, manipulation of evidence.”

“On intervention by the Army authorities, the case has now been handed over to the Crime Branch of the Orissa Police and an independent enquiry constituted. The lady, however, continues to remain in judicial custody,” he mentioned.

In light of the above, I humbly request your lordship to take Suo Moto Cognizance of this incident and ensure that ends of justice are served by ensuring the following:

Grant of bail to the lady without any further delay.
The enquiry conducted by the Crime Branch is absolutely fair and impartial in both letter and spirit. A FIR be lodged against the miscreants who indulged in the scuffle with the couple on the night of 14-15 September.
The errant police personnel are not only removed from their positions but also adequately punished so that the corrective message is sent to all concerned.
The police authorities be instructed to implement Hon’ble Supreme Court order and install CCTV so that the action of police authorities are transparent and not violative of basic Human Rights of the citizens of the country.
The concerned medical authorities at Special Jail, Jharpada be held accountable for not providing urgent medical assistance to the lady even after the medical advice by the doctor of the jail.
I am sanguine that under your lordship’s guidance, the matter will be impartially investigated and prompt appropriate action will be taken against those responsible.