Bhubaneswar, May 28: A police officer in Odisha’s Kendrapara district has been suspended for allegedly assaulting a married woman and her son. The incident reportedly involved the officer wiping off the woman’s sindoor, which is considered highly disrespectful in Hindu tradition.
According to the complaint, the victim, Annapurna Mandal, filed a report with the Sub-Divisional Police Officer in Pattamundai on Tuesday.
Annapurna stated that she and her son visited the Talchua Marine Police Station around 6 PM on Monday to lodge a domestic dispute complaint. Instead of registering her complaint, the station’s In-Charge, Sandhyarani Jena, became angry, verbally abused the woman, pulled her hair, attempted to tear her clothes, and wiped off her sindoor.
The assault extended to her son as well, who was taken to the police station’s toilet where he was stripped and beaten in collaboration with a constable. He was reportedly kicked, hit with sticks, and threatened to remain silent about the incident, or face dire consequences for both him and his mother.
It was also reported that the victims were forced to sign blank papers before being released around 11:40 PM.
The following day, Annapurna sought medical treatment at the Rajnagar Community Health Center and subsequently filed a complaint with SDPO Sukhanta Patra. In response, the Kendrapara SP visited the police station on Wednesday and reviewed the CCTV footage.
Based on the investigation, Odisha’s Director General of Police, Y.B. Khurania, suspended In-Charge Sandhyarani Jena for “serious misconduct and negligence of duty.” The order stated that departmental action would be taken against her, and she would be placed under the Central Range IG’s supervision.
In her defense, suspended officer Sandhyarani Jena has denied all allegations, asserting that the CCTV footage from the station will reveal the truth. However, her suspension was based on the same footage.