A disturbing incident involving the harassment of an Indian Army Major of the Sikh Regiment and his fiancée has come to light through a video that recently surfaced online. The video captures a group of ‘road romeos’, including engineering students, aggressively harassing the couple. This event occurred shortly before the couple’s well-publicized assault at Bharatpur police station last week.
In the video, the miscreants can be seen and heard hurling abuses, threatening, and physically pushing the Army Major and his fiancée. Despite the Major’s attempts to de-escalate the situation, the harassment escalates to physical violence.
Following the surfacing of the video, Commissionerate Police in Bhubaneswar have detained seven individuals, including students from two engineering colleges, who are believed to be involved in the incident. The authorities are continuing their efforts to identify and apprehend other participants in the harassment.
The detained individuals are likely to face arrest and subsequent legal proceedings. The situation that led to their detention occurred before the couple sought assistance at the Bharatpur police station, where they were later assaulted in custody — an incident that has since resulted in the suspension and booking of five police officers, including the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC).
The initial complaint by the Army officer to the Odisha Crime Branch stated that 10-12 men in three vehicles had waylaid and assaulted him and made lewd remarks towards his fiancée. This complaint has sparked an investigation into both the roadside incident and the subsequent police misconduct.
The outrage over the treatment of the Army officer and his fiancée has reached high levels of government, with Odisha’s Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida calling for stringent action against the suspended police officials involved in the custodial assault. The National Commission for Women has also taken notice and demanded a report on the action taken.
This case has highlighted significant concerns regarding public safety and police conduct in Bhubaneswar, prompting calls for systemic changes to ensure the protection of citizens and proper conduct by law enforcement officials.
