Officer and His Fiancée appeared before the Judicial Panel | Bhubaneswar News

Bhubaneswar: The Indian Army major and his fiancee, who were allegedly harassed by a group of youths and subsequently tortured in custody at the Bharatpur police station on September 15, appeared before the judicial commission to record their statements on Friday.
According to sources, 16 people were summoned before the judicial commission headed by former Orissa High Court Judge Chitta Ranjan Das. The commission is investigating whether the Army major and his fiancée were tortured in custody following the alleged attack.
Besides the army major and his fiancee, five police personnel, including the youths involved in the alleged attack and suspended inspector-in-charge Dinakrushna Mishra, were also asked to appear before the commission, but they were represented by their lawyers.
Judicial panel secretary Suvendu Mohanty said 16 people, including the Army major, his fiancee, accused police personnel and some youths, have been asked to appear before the panel on Friday. “We have received over 500 statements,” said Mohanty, adding that the next hearing will be held on November 30.
The army major was allegedly assaulted at the Bharatpur police station on September 15, when his fiancee was subjected to sexual and physical assault. The duo visited the police to lodge a complaint regarding a road accident incident involving some youths.
However, instead of registering the complaint, the police allegedly assaulted the duo and also filed a false case against the Army major’s fiancée, putting her behind bars. The incident later led to a huge controversy following which Odisha Police suspended five police personnel from the station.
The state government later constituted a judicial commission and appointed Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash to investigate the allegations. More than 500 statements were taken to verify the facts. Odisha Crime Branch is also conducting a parallel investigation into the matter.
Odisha Police Crime Branch also took five suspended police personnel to Gujarat’s Gandhinagar for polygraph test. The Crime Branch Directorate notified the judicial commission on October 19 that the brain mapping and narcoanalysis tests of the personnel were completed.