A retired judge of India’s Supreme Court will investigate allegations that a woman was physically and sexually assaulted by a group of police officers at a police station in the eastern state of Odisha, authorities said.
After the allegations, made last week by the 32-year-old woman and her fiancé – an army officer – sparked a massive protest, four police officers, including three women, were suspended. A fifth police officer was transferred. The move came after the state crime branch launched an investigation into the case.
Warning: This report contains details that some may find disturbing.
A video of the woman, a law student who runs a restaurant in the capital Bhubaneswar, describing her alleged assault by police in the early morning of September 15, has been shared several times on social media.
The images are difficult to watch.
The woman is in a wheelchair, with a collar around her neck and one arm in a sling, and she breaks down every time she tells journalists what happened to her.
She said she and her fiance went to the Bharatpur police station after closing her restaurant around 1am, as they were harassed by a group of men on the street.
They asked police to quickly send a patrol car to intercept the men, who were likely not far away, she said.
“The police refused to remove our complaint, instead they abused us. When I told them that I had studied law and knew my rights, they became even angrier.”
The situation escalated after police locked up her fiancé, she claimed.
“When I objected, two female officials started pulling my hair and hitting me. I kept begging them to stop. But they dragged me down the hall and one of them tried to choke me. When I fought back, they tied my hands and legs and locked me in a room,” she said, sobbing.
“A male officer came in, took off my bra and started kicking me in my breasts. At around 6am, the officer in charge of the police station came into the room. He pulled down my pants. He then dropped his pants and threatened to rape me multiple times if I didn’t stop screaming for help,” she alleged.
Indian media reports last week quoted police as saying that the army officer and his fiancée had arrived at the station drunk and that the woman had been aggressive, claiming that she had punched a policewoman and bitten another officer.
She was arrested and remanded in custody by a magistrate.
But three days after the alleged attack, the Supreme Court granted the woman bail and criticised the police and lower court that jailed her.
“On a careful perusal of the record, it appears that the allegations are of a very serious nature… They are anathema to the concept of a democratic and orderly society,” Justice Aditya Kumar Mohapatra said, adding that the “police had failed to follow the procedure laid down in law while arresting her”.
“Drastic action has been taken against the erring police officers… and appropriate action will be taken against those found guilty,” the judge said in his order.
The magistrate had also “failed to use his legal sense” in denying the woman bail, Justice Mohapatra added.
Since then, many in India have taken to social media to express their anger over alleged police brutality. A large number of former and serving army officers have shared the woman’s viral video and expressed their support for her struggle, as her father is a retired army brigadier.
The Indian Army has also written a letter to the Chief Justice of the Odisha High Court, stating that a “serving officer was kept in custody for nearly 14 hours without any charge” and that due to “the serious incident… his prestige has been damaged”.
“The modesty and dignity of his fiancée, who also happens to be the daughter of a retired police sergeant, was seriously violated by the police authorities,” the letter said.
Her father, who told the BBC he had spent hours that night frantically trying to find his daughter, said police had not even informed him or his family of the allegations against his daughter.
“Some army officers told me that my daughter had been arrested and sent to prison. I was not allowed to meet her until the next afternoon,” he said. “I hope we get justice.”
The state government said it “respects the Indian Army” and is “concerned about the dignity, safety and rights of women”. It has nominated retired judge Chitta Ranjan Dash to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within 60 days.
The woman’s allegations are being investigated and her statement has been recorded, Crime Branch official Narendra Behera told media. The seven men accused of harassing the couple have been arrested by the police and released on bail.
On social media, some have commented on the woman’s attire, while others questioned “the character of a woman who argues with men and drinks alcohol.”
Namrata Chadha, a lawyer and women’s rights activist who met the woman in hospital, told the BBC it was “heartbreaking to see this kind of victim shaming”.
“She has an injured shoulder, a cut on her face and swelling around her eye. She is very traumatized. As I was talking to her, her eyes started to water several times. I told her, ‘You’re going to have to be brave and face it all.’ She said she’s going to fight until the end.”
Ms Chadha says the police should follow a standard procedure when a woman files a complaint.
“It is their duty to listen to her patiently. They are trained to deal with a woman when she is aggressive or agitated. They have to offer her a glass of water, calm her down. But from what she has said, it is clear that the basic rules have not been followed.
“And how come there were no CCTVs when the Supreme Court of India mandates them for every police station?” she wonders. The police station in question opened only four months ago and is supposed to be a role model for other stations in the area.
Ms Chadha says the case has received a lot of attention because the woman comes from a privileged background.
“But no one knows what happens in this – and other – police stations when ordinary women go looking for help.
“We tell our daughters that if you are in trouble, go to the nearest police station. We tell them that it is the second safest place – after their home. What do we tell them now? Where does a woman go now?”
Additional reporting by Surbat Kumar Pati in Bhubaneswar
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