Stripped, chest stamped upon: Army officer's fiancée on Odisha custodial 'abuse' | Exclusive

The fiancée of an Army officer, has alleged she was assaulted, stripped and flashed at the police station in Bhubaneswar, while she had gone to file a complaint.

In Short

• Woman describes alleged severe physical abuse by cops at police station
• Incident occurred when she had gone to file a complaint in Bhubaneswar
• Odisha government orders judicial probe, five officers suspended

The fiancée of an Army officer, who had alleged sexual assault at a police station in Bhubaneswar, recounted that she was beaten up, choked, stripped, stamped on her chest and pulled by her hair by police officers.

The incident occurred when the woman and her partner had gone to the Bharatpur Police Station to file a complaint against miscreants who had waylaid them when they were returning home on September 15. But what was expected to be mere filing a complaint and subsequent police action, turned into a night of horror.

In an interview with India Today TV, the woman described how she was beaten, choked and pulled by the hair. "My tooth fell off and was flung out by a female officer. My bra was pulled up, my pants were lowered, and my bare chest was stamped and pumped for 20 minutes by the male officer," she alleged.

The victim painfully recalled the moment when a male officer flashed her and asked her, "How many times would you like to take it to shut up?"

She said she had sought help from the police, but instead of finding protection, she found herself at the mercy of those entrusted to uphold the law.

Reflecting on the reason why the incident happened, she said, "I not only told them what they were supposed to do, but I also pointed out what wrong they were doing. Probably, that triggered them."

Despite facing repeated assaults allegedly by police officers, the woman remained defiant. "I don't care about the campaign they are running against me. It is the easiest thing to assassinate the character of a woman," she said.

Refusing to let her dignity be tarnished by slander, she questioned the patriarchal moral policing often imposed on women, "Is having two drinks a crime in India?"

Still grappling with the traumatic incident, she said, "I'm still asking myself what wrong I did. What was my fault? As an Army family, we are taught to raise our voice against wrong, and I did the same."

As her ordeal garnered widespread attention, the woman expressed her gratitude to the Indian Army for standing by her and thanked those who believed in her. "I thank all of those who are raising their voices against wrong and I did the same."

The woman, who was also arrested by the police, was granted bail by the Orissa High Court on September 19 considering the gravity of the allegations.

The Odisha government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident, which triggered nationwide outrage. The state police has suspended five officers, including the Inspector-in-charge of Bharatpur Police Station.