Everyone scared due to rising crime in state: Congress MLA Sofia Firdous over assault on Army officer, his fiancee

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 21 (ANI): After the alleged assault of an Army officer and his fiancee at the Bharatpur Police Station in Bhubaneswar, Congress MLA Sofia Firdous met the victim at the hospital and criticised the Odisha government over the law and order situation.
After meeting the Army officer's fiancee, Firdous demanded immediate action into the matter. She said that everyone is "scared," due to the increase in crimes in the state.
"This is a very sad incident. Immediate action should be taken against this; merely suspending them (police officers) is not enough...they should be arrested, investigation should be done. When the new government came, people thought there would be some change but the way the law and order situation has become, the way crimes are increasing, all are scared," Firdous told ANI.
The alleged incident occurred on September 15, when the Army Major and his fiancee went to the Bharatpur police station to report harassment by miscreants while returning from a hotel late at night. Instead of addressing their concerns, the police allegedly tortured the Major and the woman, even incarcerating her without justification.
After the allegations surfaced, the Odisha government initiated an inquiry into the matter while reiterating its 'zero tolerance' policy on violence against women. The Chief Minister's Office issued a statement saying that necessary steps and departmental actions have been taken regarding the issue.
"The government has taken the allegations of misbehaviour and assault against an army officer and a woman accompanying him in Bharatpur police station very seriously. As soon as the incident came to the notice of the government, necessary steps were taken as per law along with departmental action," said the statement by the Chief Minister's office.
The CMO additionally said that the Crime Branch of the state has been directed to submit a report on the incident.
"As the incident is very sensitive, the Crime Branch has been directed to investigate the incident immediately and submit a report within the specified time frame. As soon as the investigation report is received, the culprits will be punished as per law. The government has a 'zero tolerance' policy against violence against women and harassment of women, will not be tolerated in any form," added the statement.
Former Odisha Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Naveen Patnaik, also demanded a judicial probe into the incident and criticised the BJP government for stopping certain initiatives for the people.
Earlier, the woman's father demanded the termination and imprisonment of the police officers involved in the alleged assault. (ANI)