The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bhubaneswar on Fridaysubmitted a report to the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on the alleged detention of Rama Devi (RD) University students in the university campus on December 3 last.
In the report, the DCP has mentioned that the allegation levelled by the complainants against the university authorities was false.
After observing the report, the OHRC has asked the complainants to file a counter reply by February 26.
On December 5, the rights panel had directed the DCP to submit a report in this regard after students of the
university filed a written complaint alleging that they were locked up in a room before Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s visit to the campus on December 3.
The students had said they were not allowed to attend the CM’s programme. “Many nonstudents were allowed to attend the meeting, but we were not allowed in even after showing our identity cards. A few minutes before the programme started, Saheed Nagar police locked us up in a room,” read the memorandum.
The girls said when they brought the incident to the notice of university’s officer on special duty (OSD) Padmaja Mishra, she didn’t listen to them and threatened to rusticate them from the institution.
While the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the BJP moved the National Commission for Women (NCW) seeking action against the culprits.