Odisha CM Majhi Vows "Exemplary Punishment" For Culprits As Alleged Assault On Army Officer, His Fiancée Sparks Outcry

The alleged assault on an army officer and the sexual abuse of his fiancée inside a Bhubaneswar police station has sparked a political controversy.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi assured on Friday (20 September) that the culprits would face “exemplary punishment.”

“Our government never hesitates to take action against the culprits. We are taking steps to give stringent punishment to the culprits,” Majhi told reporters in Keonjhar, Indian Express reported.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister’s Office said, “As the incident is very sensitive, the Crime Branch has been directed to investigate the incident immediately and submit a report within the specified time frame. As soon as the investigation report is received, the culprits will be given exemplary punishment. The government has a zero-tolerance policy against violence against women. Harassment of women will not be tolerated in any form".

Opposition parties, including the BJD and Congress, have stepped up their criticism of the BJP government in response to the incident.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, called for the “strictest legal punishment” for those responsible.

“The horrific incident that happened in Odisha has raised serious questions on the law and order situation in the country… This heinous incident is a shame on all of humanity. Under the BJP government, crimes against women have become completely uncontrolled and unbridled. When injustice thrives and finds shelter within the government system itself, then from whom should the common citizen look for help?” he said.

Former Odisha Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik called for a “full judicial inquiry” into the case.

“The way an Army major and his fiancée were treated at the police station is shocking and beyond comprehension. The manner in which police have allegedly treated them has shaken the conscience of the country. BJD strongly condemns this heinous act and expects the BJP government to take the strongest possible action against all those involved,” said Patnaik.

Former Union Minister V K Singh, in a social media post, urged the Odisha Chief Minister to take “immediate action against the police personnel and all who are trying to shield the criminals in police uniform”.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General P S Shekhawat, General Officer Commanding of the Madhya Bharat Area, has written to the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, seeking intervention in the matter.

He stated that “the prestige of a serving Army officer was demeaned," and that the dignity of his fiancée, who also happens to be the daughter of a retired Brigadier, was “grossly outraged by the police authorities”.

“The police action and their purported statements are manipulative and aimed at concealing the police brutality on the lady and the officer,” he said in the letter dated 18 September.

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