Kendrapara/Rajnagar: A female police inspector has been suspended for misconduct and dereliction of duty after officials of Talchua Marine police station in Kendrapara district were accused of custodial torture. The step was taken after Annapurna Mandal, 55, and her son Ananta Kumar Mandal, 31, of Giripahi village, accused Inspector In-Charge Sandhya rani Jena and another officer of subjecting them to “third-degree” torture inside the police station Monday.
The woman and her son alleged that they were assaulted in custody, confined inside a toilet for nearly four hours and forced to sign blank papers. The woman also claimed that she was disrobed and police personnel wiped off the vermillion (sindoor) from her forehead.
An official order said that the Inspector In-Charge, Sandhyarani Jena, “was suspended for gross misconduct and dereliction of duty, whereas a formal disciplinary proceeding is contemplated against her”. The order further said the IIC would remain under the disciplinary control of the Inspector General of police (Central Range), Cuttack, during the suspension period. Meanwhile, the accused inspector has denied all allegations.
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