Nationwide outrage over custodial abuse pushes Majhi Govt. into damage control mode

Nationwide outrage over alleged custodial abuse of Army officer and sexual harassment of fiancée prompts Odisha government into action.

The alleged custodial abuse of an Army officer and the sexual harassment of his fiancée at a Bhubaneswar police station sparked nationwide outrage, pushing the Mohan Majhi government in Odisha into damage control mode on Friday (September 20, 2024).

While the Congress questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the incident, the principal opposition in Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal demanded a court-monitored special investigation team probe and a judicial inquiry into this grave incident against an Army Major and the lady.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said, “The shocking incident in Odisha has raised a question mark on the law and order situation in the country. An Army officer, who sought assistance from the police, was assaulted, while his fiancée was tortured in custody. This heinous incident is a blot on the entire humanity.”

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Vadra, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said that wherever the BJP was in power, it was working on the policy to turn the police from “protectors to predators”. 

“The audacity to deliver justice on their own is now promoting crime, atrocities and inhumanity. This should stop. Strictest action should be taken in this case,” Ms. Vadra said.

Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate accused Mr. Modi of prioritising election campaigning over addressing women’s safety concerns. She pointed out that no woman BJP MP had spoken up on the issue, in stark contrast to their loud protests in West Bengal.

Former Army Chief General V. K. Singh in an ‘X’ post said “everyone must listen to fiancée of Army officer and daughter of retired Army officer — what happened to her in PS Bharatpur in Odisha is shameful and horrendous. Odisha CM should take immediate action against the police personnel and all who are trying to shield the criminals in police uniform.”