A woman was beaten up by allegedly an on-duty police Havildar near the Ghanti Dwar of the Jagannath Temple here on Monday, triggering resentment among other devotees.
The victim Madhuri Das (65) of Brahmapur in Ganjam district sustained injuries in her head and was admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital in the city.
Later, the accused Havildar of the Reserve Battalion was detained at the Lions Gate police station and then suspended by Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh, who said such incidents would not be tolerated.
"The Habisiyali has brought the allegations against a Havildar. We have taken her complaint seriously and placed the Havildar under suspension. An additional SP has been entrusted with investigation into the incident,” Singh said.
“The statement of Havildar will be recorded to ascertain why and in what circumstances the incident happened. Things will be clear after a detailed inquiry. As of now, we have taken action in the incident from our side. After the detailed inquiry, further action will be taken if necessary,” he added.
Earlier also some Habisiyalis had accused police personnel of misbehaving with them in the temple premises.