Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, BJP MLA, Deputy CM Odisha | X-account
Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Saturday said the recent incident of “sexual abuse” at the Bharatpur police station was being “politicised” and asserted that those found guilty would not be spared.
Talking to reporters, he said the BJP government in the state has already suspended five police personnel for their alleged involvement in the incident.
“The incident is being politicised… It is because of the BJP that former chief minister Naveen Patnaik came out of his house after 24 years and gave a statement to the media,” Singh Deo said.
Patnaik had on Friday demanded a court-monitored SIT probe and a judicial inquiry into the alleged sexual assault of an army officer’s fiancée at Bharatpur police station on September 15.
Anyone found guilty during the investigation “will not be spared and strict action will be taken against them,” Singh Deo said.
The BJD government has left the police in such a situation… The previous government had set up several judicial commissions for investigation into various cases, including the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, during its 24-year tenure. But they did not make such investigation reports public,” he alleged.
At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said the Odisha government will not tolerate violence against women.
The case from Bharatput police station has been transferred to the crime branch due to its “impartiality and transparency” in the investigation, he said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has already made it clear that strict action will be taken against the culprits, he said.
Biswal said the BJP government is committed to a “zero tolerance policy” in this incident.
“During the previous BJD government, crimes against women were reported in Odisha. However, neither the then chief minister nor anyone from the callous BJD wing ever met such victims,” the BJP leader said.
“Our other Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida already met the victim at the hospital on Friday,” Singh Deo added.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been edited by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First publication: Sep 21, 2024 | 10:50 PM IST