By Sanjeev Kumar Patro
Bhubaneswar: Commissionerate Police apparently staring at once-a-lifetime howler. As the savagery of the custodial horror has acquired gigantic political hues, with none other than Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi training guns at BJP, videos of the dark day that had gone viral seem to have bared the can of worms thriving in the police stations (PS) in the State.
Watching the videos brings to fore the real reason of why the cops in the PS unleashed brute savagery on the Army major Gurvansh Singh’s fiancé, who is daughter of a former Brigadier.
VIDEO FILMING TOUCHES COPS RAW NERVE
The viral videos of the infamous incident of September 14 seem to have put in frame the scheme of things. Video footages from bar, on roads and inside Bhartpur PS have bared it all. Here is the chronological sequence of the cops’ hall of infamy.
- First footage from the bar RN Food Venture -66 pictures the victim and Major Guruvansh Singh in high jolly mood, tapping feet to music.
- Second footage shows group of hooligans or say road romeos, waylaying the victim and Army Major
- Footage from inside the Bharatpur PS opened up the pandora’s box of the police functioning in a PS. And this footage also nails the trigger point of cops unleashing brute force on the victim.
- Video footage from inside PS shows filming by both police and the victim.
- The audio heard narrates the tales of skeletons tumbling out of the Commissionerate Police’s cupboard.
- Purported voice of victim heard saying, “Salini Panda, SI, was not on duty, and had put her subordinates to manage the PS at odd hours of night.
- Victim’s purported voice heard talks about how cops here have failed miserably in their duty.
- The inside PS footage shows the victims taking pot shots at a lady cop filming the victim.
WHAT THE LAW SAYS?
This Bhartapur PS episode gives the inside story of how two hoots shown by the cops to the police manuals and country’s statues,thereby giving the anti-social elements and criminals an upper hand in Odisha.
- As per statutes, only SHO or IIC can register a FIR. In the absence of senior officers, FIR can be registered by a police official of the rank of Sub-Inspector or even a Head Constable, and not below that rank.
- In Bharatpur PS, none of the police officials of the ranks explained above were on duty then, when the victim first went.
- Moreover, in police station, cops have to be in uniform. But victim’s statement talks of a lady constable on duty in nighty.
- The filming of the victim by a lady cop shows the PS was not under CCTV surveillance.
- Supreme Court in year 2020 in the judgement on the case of Paramjit Singh Saini Vs Baljit Singh &ORS, had directed all State governments to install CCTV in every PS. The CCTV must have night vision and audio recording capability.
COPS SEXUAL ACT
The ordeal narrated by the victim, especially kicking at the breasts and flashing genitalia, comes outrightly under section 78 of Bharatiya Nyay Samhita. The Sec 78 says: Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any words, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object in any form, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, and also with fine.
