Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Rajnagar, Feb 5:

Police today arrested a fellow policeman for allegedly molesting a minor girl and a woman at Rajnagar in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.

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The accused cop identified as Amar Kumar Behera is posted as a Havildar at the Rajnagar police station here.

Tension ran high in Rajnagar area as locals agitated over the incident demanded the accused cop’s arrest and staged a road blockade.

According to reports, while people were waiting at the passengers’ rest shed near Hansua bridge to go to Benakanda and Jagatjor under Mahakalapada block, Behera who was deployed there for traffic control allegedly molested a minor girl waiting at the passengers’ rest shed. The minor girl from Gupti, a class-VIII student, was waiting with her paternal grandmother at the rest shed to go to Jagatjor.

A little later after the incident, the accused Havildar again came and molested another woman waiting at the rest shed leading to protests by other women present there.

As commotion prevailed, the crowd swelled and blocked the road demanding the Havildar’s arrest and suspension from his job.

Special DGP (Crime Branch) B K Sharma who was returning after a visit to Bhitarkanika was stranded due to the road blockade by the public.

The road blockade was lifted after Rajnagar IIC Sitikantha Kanungo assured the protestors of action against the accused cop.

Pattamundai SDPO Umashankar Maharana who had rushed to Rajnagar on being informed about the incident questioned the minor and the woman about the alleged molestation by the cop. The minor’s grandma has lodged a written complaint at the Rajnagar police station in this connection.

Following the registration of the complaint (no. 16/17), police have arrested Behera and are quizzing him about the incident.

While the other woman, another victim of the cop hasn’t lodged a complaint, nonetheless she has recorded her statement with the police.