‘Dragged by hair, assaulted’: Mother-son accuse Odisha Police of custodial torture, woman cop suspended
A police inspector in Odisha’s Kendrapada has been suspended after a mother and son alleged custodial torture and assault at a police station.
A woman police inspector was suspended and a departmental probe ordered after she and other staff at a police station in Odisha’s Kendrapada were accused of custodial torture.
An official order said inspector in charge Sandhyarani Jena was suspended for gross misconduct and dereliction of duty after a 55-year-old woman and her 31-year-old son lodged a custodial torture complaint with the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Pattamundai.
According to the duo, this followed a complaint by their estranged father over a “domestic dispute”. “Our father was a devout follower of a guru and has lived apart for a year. He’s a strict vegetarian and disliked our food choices. He also frequently accuses us of harassment and lodged a police complaint to compel us to vacate our home,” the woman’s eldest son told The Indian Express.
The duo was allegedly called to the police station on May 25. “After an hour of discussion, the police asked us to sign an agreement stating that my brother and I would vacate the house. When we objected, my younger brother and mother were brutally assaulted. My mother was dragged by her hair, disrobed, and her vermillion (sindoor) forcibly wiped off,” the elder son said.
The woman’s second son was allegedly locked inside a toilet, assaulted and forced to sign a blank paper. “The police even threatened to arrest my younger brother. We were detained till midnight,” the first son said, adding that his brother’s mobile phone was “seized” by police.
The two victims were admitted to a local community health centre in Rajnagar for treatment of injuries.
While the suspended officer could not be contacted for comment, Kendrapada SP Siddharth Kataria said an independent departmental probe was looking into the allegations.
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A woman police inspector was suspended and a departmental probe ordered after she and other staff at a police station in Odisha’s Kendrapada were accused of custodial torture.
An official order said inspector in charge Sandhyarani Jena was suspended for gross misconduct and dereliction of duty after a 55-year-old woman and her 31-year-old son lodged a custodial torture complaint with the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Pattamundai.
According to the duo, this followed a complaint by their estranged father over a “domestic dispute”. “Our father was a devout follower of a guru and has lived apart for a year. He’s a strict vegetarian and disliked our food choices. He also frequently accuses us of harassment and lodged a police complaint to compel us to vacate our home,” the woman’s eldest son told The Indian Express.
The duo was allegedly called to the police station on May 25. “After an hour of discussion, the police asked us to sign an agreement stating that my brother and I would vacate the house. When we objected, my younger brother and mother were brutally assaulted. My mother was dragged by her hair, disrobed, and her vermillion (sindoor) forcibly wiped off,” the elder son said.
The woman’s second son was allegedly locked inside a toilet, assaulted and forced to sign a blank paper. “The police even threatened to arrest my younger brother. We were detained till midnight,” the first son said, adding that his brother’s mobile phone was “seized” by police.
The two victims were admitted to a local community health centre in Rajnagar for treatment of injuries.
While the suspended officer could not be contacted for comment, Kendrapada SP Siddharth Kataria said an independent departmental probe was looking into the allegations.
