Seven students arrested for assaulting Army officer and fiancée in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police today arrested seven engineering students in Bhubaneswar for allegedly assaulting an Indian Army officer and harassing his fiancée late hours on September 15.

The Chandaka police in the city here had detained the seven students in connection with the incident yesterday. The Chandaka police also seized 11 mobile phones and a vehicle.

According to the complaint, a group of around 12 individuals in three cars intercepted the officer’s vehicle near Patharagadia while he and his fiancée were returning home from her restaurant. They reportedly hurled insults at the officer and made inappropriate comments toward his fiancée. When the officer attempted to resist, he was physically attacked.

As the officer tried to record the incident on his phone, the assailants threatened both him and his fiancée. The couple managed to escape and reached Bharatpur police station around 2 a.m. to file a formal complaint, requesting a police control room van to apprehend the attackers.

However, the couple alleged that instead of receiving assistance, they were mistreated by the Bharatpur police. They claimed the fiancée was taken into custody, where she faced severe abuse, including being stripped and assaulted. Reports indicate that she resisted by biting a female officer.

Subsequently, the fiancée was arrested and brought before a local court, which denied her bail and placed her in judicial custody. The Orissa High Court later granted her bail, and she was admitted to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar for medical care.

The alleged misconduct by police has sparked widespread outrage across the country.

The state government has suspended five police official, including the Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Bharatpur police station, in connection with the incident and ordered a Crime Branch probe in this regard.

The arrested students have denied the allegations, claiming that the officer’s fiancée made inappropriate gestures, leading to a confrontation.

One of the accused stated, “We have been falsely implicated in this case.”