Jeypore: A tribal woman of Bandhugaon area in Koraput district was brutally assaulted by police on a complaint lodged by her daughter-in-law.
The victim along with her husband Gangadhar Haraka of Jaguguda village under Bandhugaon police limits narrated the ordeal before the media during a press conference held at Banka Math premises here.
The couple also approached State Human Rights Commission, state home secretary and SP-Koraput to get justice in the matter.
According to Gangadhar, his son Surya had married to Puruna Mandi, daughter of Balaji Mandi of the same village about six years ago. It was a love marriage and the couple has a son from the wedlock. Puruna, last month, asked her husband to take her to a local festival. However, Surya, a driver with the Railways, was unable to take her there. He advised her to visit the festival with his parents instead. This angered Puruna and she left the house in a huff with her son. Later, she lodged a fake complaint against her in-laws at Bandhugaon police station.
Acting on her complaint, the IIC of the police station summoned Gangadhar and his wife to resolve the issue. The officer, however, abused the tribal couple and levelled casteist remarks when they went to the police station.
Later, police came to the village April 16 and beat up Gangadhar’s wife mercilessly using a baton on a village road. The brutality didn’t end there. The officer continued to kick her even after she was almost disrobed in the process. The IIC left the village when the woman fell unconscious failing to withstand the assault. Similarly, Gangadhar and his son Surya were also taken to the police station and were brutally beaten up there. They too fell unconscious after the police excesses.
Some CRPF men and a few other police officials took them to the hospital and brought them to village after some treatment, Gangadhar said. Later, he took his wife to Rayagada DHH but she has not recovered yet, he added.
The couple demanded a high-level probe into such brutalities and sought justice from the administration. PNN
