Bhubaneswar: Hours after the news of a woman homeguard losing both her legs in a suicide attempt following alleged torture by wife of senior IPS officer Brijesh Kumar Rai sent shockwaves across the State, the DIG-ranked official of Odisha Police has dismissed all claims of harassment and attributed the victim's drastic action to mental distress.

Addressing mediapersons, Rai said homeguard Souridri Sahu was going through a lot of anguish in her personal life which could have prompted her to take such an extreme step. While he confirmed that she was engaged at his residence, he refuted any undue pressure on her at work. "The victim was often distracted on duty due to some personal issues. She was worried about her elder daughter and had health concerns. She was also grieving her nephew's death. We had even asked her opt for some other work if she was unhappy here," he said.

Responding to queries on Sahu's suicide attempt, Rai said the move seems to be planned. "We do not know what was going on in her mind. She made the sudden attempt to end her life while returning home. It seems she was instigated."

The senior police official also dismissed the allegations of his spouse having subjected Sahu to torture and assault. "The victim was treated like a family member and never came up to me or homeguard commandant with any sort of complaint. We are extremely saddened at the unfortunate turn of events  and wish her speedy recovery," he stated.

On August 4, Sahu, a native of Angul district, jumped before a moving train after reportedly being humiliated and assaulted by Rai's wife. Though she survived, she lost her legs in the incident. She was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack.

Sahu had lodged a complaint with Homeguard DG Sudhanshu Sarangi, in which she claimed that Rai’s wife used to beat and humiliate her over negligence in work. This apart, the IPS officer’s spouse had been threatening the victim to dismiss her from the job.

On the day of the incident, Rai’s wife asked Sahu to wash some of her clothes. The homeguard expressed her inability to do so citing injury on her leg. The accused then dragged the victim out of the house holding her neck and abused her. Being humiliated over such treatment, she decided to end her life and jumped before a moving train.

In the letter to the Homeguard DG, she has demanded adequate compensation for her. She also alleged that efforts were being made to suppress the entire matter.

“The government will bear the expenses towards the treatment of the woman. The allegations mentioned by her in the complaint will be looked into and further discussion with her will be held in this regard after her discharge from the hospital. Subsequently, necessary action will be taken,” Homeguard DG Sudhanshu Sarangi had later stated.