india

Updated: Aug 18, 2019 21:25 IST

A local court in Odisha has asked the police to book an Indian Police Service officer for allegedly kicking a pregnant woman, which led to her miscarriage.

An FIR was lodged against Sundergarh superintendent of police, Saumya Mishra, at Hemgir police station on Friday.

Priya Dey, of Kanika village, had filed a case before the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate in Sundargarh alleging that Mishra kicked her on her belly which led to her miscarriage on July 4. Mishra had apparently gone to her house to look for her husband, an accused in a stone-pelting case on a police post.

The police said on July 3, a 19-year-old youth of Kanika village died when she was hit by an SUV. On July 4, locals surrounded a local police beat house at Kanika demanding arrest of the person driving the SUV. The angry locals hurled stones at the beat house, damaged the two-wheelers parked there and attacked few constables, police said.

Police identified 14 people including Dey’s husband Uttam Dey. Priya alleged that a police team led by Sundargarh SP turned up at their house and allegedly thrashed her, after the police failed to find her Uttam at the house.

Priya, who later filed a case in the SDJM court, alleged that the SP had kicked her on her abdomen, which led to her miscarriage. The SP and the cops later went to the fly ash brick factory of Dey and allegedly damaged five vehicles and one brick-making machine there worth Rs 4 lakh, she claimed.

Inspector Shraddhanjali Subuddhi of Hemgir police station said a case has been lodged against Mishra under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Deputy SP Jyotshnamaye has been handed over the charge of the investigation.

Sundargarh SP Mishra refused to comment. Her superior officer and DIG (western range) Kavita Jalan said she has no idea about the court order and would not be able to comment on it.

Mishra is not the first police official to find herself in the dock over her misdemeanour. In August last year, Nabrangpur SP Vivekanand Sharma had physically assaulted two of his peons in his residential quarters and made them do sit-ups as they could not wake up the officer on time.

In November 2016, IPS officer Dr Satyajit Naik, then SP of Special Task Force reportedly threw a paper clip at an inspector over delay in submission of chargesheet in a narcotic case.

In 2014, IPS officer SK Gajbhiye, had drawn flak over his alleged excesses on a crowd that protested the acts of controversial godman Sarathi baba alias Santosh Roul in Kendrapara town. All the officers are now facing various departmental proceedings over their misdemeanours.