Bhubaneswar, May 28: A police officer in Odisha’s Kendrapara district has been suspended following allegations of assaulting a married woman and her son. Reports indicate that the officer wiped the woman’s sindoor, a significant symbol in Hindu tradition, from her forehead, an act deemed highly disrespectful.
The victim, Annapurna Mandal, filed a complaint on Tuesday with the Sub-Divisional Police Officer in Pattamundai. She recounted that on Monday evening, around 6 PM, she and her son went to the Talchua Marine Police Station to report a domestic dispute. Instead of registering her complaint, the officer in charge, Sandhyarani Jena, allegedly became aggressive.
Mandal claims that Jena verbally abused her, pulled her hair, attempted to tear her clothes, and removed the sindoor from her forehead. Her son was also reportedly assaulted. They were taken to the police station’s restroom, where they were beaten in collaboration with a constable. The mother and son were threatened with violence if they disclosed the incident to anyone.
It was reported that the victims were coerced into signing blank papers and were released around 11:40 PM. The following day, Annapurna sought medical treatment at the Rajnagar Community Health Center and subsequently lodged a complaint with SDPO Sukanta Patra. The Kendrapara Superintendent of Police visited the station on Wednesday to review CCTV footage related to the incident.
Based on the investigation, Odisha’s Director General of Police, Y.B. Khurania, suspended Sandhyarani Jena for “serious misconduct and negligence of duty.” The order stated that departmental action would follow, and she would be placed under the supervision of the Central Range IG.
In response, the suspended officer has denied all allegations, asserting that the CCTV footage from the station will reveal the truth. However, her suspension was based on the evidence gathered from this footage.
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