Bhubaneswar: A man has accused personnel at Bhubaneswar Capital Hospital police outpost of subjecting him to third-degree torture and threatening sexual violence against his sister after he refused to pay a bribe, raising serious concerns over Odisha police conduct in the state capital.

The complainant, Debabrata Sadangi of Gotara village under Mahanga police limits in Cuttack district, has lodged a written complaint at Capital Police Station detailing the alleged abuse. As per his allegations, he arrived in Bhubaneswar from Delhi by flight on February 3 morning. Shortly after landing at Biju Patnaik International Airport, he reportedly fell ill and was admitted to Capital Hospital for treatment. During this time, his bag was kept under the supervision of police personnel posted at the hospital’s emergency ward.

After being discharged, Sadangi discovered that cash was missing from his bag. When he raised the issue with the police personnel present there, his complaint was ignored, forcing him to return home. Once he recovered, he revisited the Capital Hospital outpost and requested that CCTV footage be examined. He alleges that the police personnel demanded a bribe in exchange for showing him the footage. When he refused, they allegedly declined to cooperate.

Victim says he was assaulted after objecting to CCTV footage shown by police

Sadangi subsequently went to Capital Police Station and lodged a verbal complaint. After the police station intervened, officials at the outpost agreed to show him the CCTV footage. However, he alleged that instead of displaying visuals from the spot where his bag had been kept, they showed footage from another location. When he protested, a heated exchange followed. A police officer then pushed him out of the control room and claimed that the money had been stolen from the ambulance instead. When he began recording the interaction on his mobile phone, the officer allegedly summoned other personnel, who dragged him into the outpost premises.

Sadangi further alleged that he was confined inside a room, tied up, and beaten with lathis. He further alleged that the officers threatened to rape his sister, forcibly took the cash from his pockets, seized his mobile phone, and deleted photos and videos from it. After approximately an hour of alleged assault and intimidation, Sadangi said he was released upon assuring the officers that he would remain silent about the incident.

Capital Police Station has registered a case and initiated an investigation into the allegations.

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