Bhubaneswar: With pressure mounting on Crime Branch (CB) officials to submit the probe report in connection with the custodial torture of Army Officer Gurvansh Singh and his fiancée, the investigators took Singh’s statement for the second consecutive day at 120 Battalion in Bhubaneswar, Sunday.
Following the local court’s bail order for seven students arrested in the case Saturday, the police are already on the back foot. Notably, the Investigating Officer (IO) Deputy Superintendent of Police Nilimarani Panda, prior to booking the accused, visited the crime scene with Fingerprint Bureau and collected evidence from the spot, which was presented in the court.
Moreover, the CB is likely to move a local court Monday for permission to conduct polygraph tests on the errant cops facing charges of custodial torture and sexual assault.
Meanwhile, the snail’s pace of Crime Branch’s investigation has courted flak from several quarters. With the retired police fraternity protesting against the suspension of the cops, many civil groups are of the opinion that the top cops are being put under pressure to absolve the errant police officials of the charges. On the viral videos, noted social activist Namrata Chadha commented that the lady is seen dancing in the pub– which is not illegal. “Some sections saying that she was aggressive with the youths on the road, but what will a girl do if she is accosted by 6-8 rowdies,” she questioned. Meanwhile, some sections are demanding immediate resignation of the Twin City Police Commissioner and the DCP on moral grounds.