Odisha CM orders judicial inquiry into Army officer's 'custodial torture', sexual assault on fiancee
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged torture of an Army officer and the sexual assault of his fiancee at a police station here.
The state government is committed to taking strict action against all persons or officials who are found guilty, the chief minister said.
He issued the order for judicial inquiry after a discussion with his deputy chief ministers K V Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, Law Minister Pritihiviraj Harichandan and senior officers.
According to a statement released by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the judicial inquiry will be presided over by Justice Chittaranjan Das and the report will be filed within 60 days.
The state government also requested the Orissa High Court to supervise the investigation being carried out by the Crime Branch of the Odisha Police.
While emphasising on the rule of the law, Chief Minister Majhi said the state government respects the Indian Army. "The state government is fully concerned about the dignity, safety and rights of women," the CMO said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the state government has suspended five police personnel of the Bharatpur police station and registered a case against them over the charges of torturing the Army officer and sexually harassing his fiancée.
The state government also maintained the youths who were accused of misbehaving with the Army officer and his fiancée on the road on the night of September 15 were arrested and produced in court.
Earlier, on the instructions of the chief minister, the complainants held a meeting with the two deputy chief ministers, the revenue minister and the law minister at the State Guest House. The woman's father and other senior serving Army officers were also present, the CMO said.
BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik had demanded a court monitored SIT probe and a judicial inquiry into the incident. The opposition party has also called for a Bhubaneswar bandh on September 24.
The alleged incident took place on September 15 when an army officer posted in West Bengal and his fiancée approached Bharatpur police station to lodge a complaint of road rage in which they were allegedly harassed by some local youths.
However, a verbal altercation took place between the duo and some policemen following which the officer and his fiancée were allegedly assaulted at the police station.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
