Woman accuses Odisha Police of torture, assault on minor sons, cops dismiss allegations

Bhubaneswar, Dec 20 (PTI) A middle-aged woman has moved the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC), alleging that she and her minor sons were physically assaulted by the police in Jagatsinghpur district, a charge dismissed by the law enforcers on Saturday.

The woman, identified as Aklima Bibi of Hatt Bazar in Jagatsinghpur Town police station area, in a petition to the rights panel, alleged that the local police forcibly entered her house and assaulted her and minor sons on December 11 after being unable to locate her husband, Sk Nawab.

"If my husband is an accused in any case, let the police take action against him. They have no right to assault me and my minor sons. The police kicked me and beat up my sons with their belts. I seek justice," the woman said in her petition to OHRC on Friday.

However, Jagastsinghpur Police dismissed the charges as "baseless, false, and motivated".

"The allegations made by Aklima Bibi are not supported by any material evidence. The police action was lawful, transparent, and conducted strictly in accordance with established legal procedures, with due sensitivity towards the minors and respect for the rights of all concerned," the police said in a statement.

Giving out details of the case, the police said they were probing into a temple theft case.

Police conducted searches at different places, including the house of Sk Nawab. However, he was not present, following which police asked his wife to send him to the police station after he returned home, the statement said.

Police also claimed that during the visit to Nawab's house, his wife and three sons confronted the personnel and engaged in arguments, and no cooperation was extended to the police team.

"During the course of lawful verification, a video was found in the mobile phone of a minor son, wherein the boy was seen holding a handgun along with a magazine and live ammunition inside the house, in the presence of his mother and father," it said.

Thereafter, considering the seriousness of the matter and taking into account the age of the minor, as well as the gravity of the offence, the child was subsequently called for counselling regarding possession of illegal firearm along with elder family members on December 18, the statement said.

"During counselling, the minor revealed that the arms and ammunition were procured by his father, Sk Nawab, and brought to Jagatsinghpur with the intention of selling them locally for monetary gain through illegal arms trade," the police said.

The police said the allegation against it was made in an apparent attempt to obstruct the ongoing investigation related to the temple theft case and to avoid implication in the arms trafficking matter.

"Aklima Bibi filed a false and fabricated petition making allegations against the police, with the intent to malign the image of Jagatsinghpur Police and derail the lawful investigation against her husband," the statement added. PTI AAM AAM ACD