Another example of alleged inefficiency of the city Mahila police station came to the fore when it delayed in taking prompt action against culprits in a dowry torture case, thus enabling them to avail bail.
Though one Shikha Das (31) on November 22 last had filed a case at the Mahila police station alleging that her in-laws including her ‘impotent’ husband were torturing her for more dowries, the police registered the case two days later, in the plea of counseling. But till December 19, the police did not arrest them in the name of searching.
However, except the victim’s husband Bijayananda Mohanty, her mother-in-law Basanti Mohanty, father-in-law Bishnu Charan Mohanty, elder brother-in-law Dolgobinda Mohanty and sister-in-law Jyoti Pattnayak managed to get bails from courts on December 20 last year, raising fingers at the capability of the Mahila police station IIC Sarojini Nayak and investigating officer of the case (IO) Subasini Mohapatra in taking timely action.
Notably, Shikha had married with Bijayananda a software consultant and a resident of flat number 208, Jayadev Tower near Jayadev Vihar under Nayapalli police station on June 2 last year in accordance with Hindu rituals. But her in-laws started harassing her just a few days after the marriage.
“During our marriage, neither I, nor my parents were aware of my husband’s impotency and inability to keep physical relationship with me. He, instead, along with in-laws tortured me physically and mentally for more dowries,” Shikha had earlier alleged at a Press conference here.
Though the victim along with her father met the Commissioner of Police (CP) for justice in regular intervals, nothing positive happened as yet. “Despite the CP’s repeated direction to the IIC to arrest the culprits, why the latter failed to nab them should be investigated,” demanded the victim’s father.
He alleged that despite the fact that the atrocities on women are rising day by day in the State, the Government has failed to set up exclusive Mahila police stations in major towns as per its promise and instead engaged incapable officers at the one and only Mahila police station in the capital city.
Stating that the police are yet to recover the dowry articles from Bijayananda, victim Shikha alleged that it clearly exposed the dubious role of the IIC and the IO in protecting the culprits.
“We demand a judicial probe into the whole incident starting from filing of the case to the police action so far,” demanded the victim’s father, urging the police to nab Bijayananda who is yet to get bail.