The State Assembly on Wednesday witnessed pandemonium when Opposition BJP and Congress raised the issue of assault on a tribal woman by a police officer in Malkangiri district last month.
This forced several adjournments in the House, following which the Government ordered a Crime Branch (CB) probe into the incident.
The Opposition alleged that Chitrakonda SDPO Anshuman Dwivedi assaulted the tribal woman over ganja smuggling on June 7. A minor girl, a pregnant woman and an elderly person were also assaulted by the SDPO.
The issue was raised by Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati and later supported by his party colleagues Narasingha Mishra and Santosh Singh Saluja and also BJP member Mohan Majhi.
Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha adjourned the House several times due to the logjam.
Bahinipati alleged that the SDPO illegally entered the houses of tribals in RAC Village 13 under Chitrakonda block on midnight of June 7 and conducted a raid without any lady police based on wrong information that people were engaged in illegal ganja trade. The SDPO severely beat a pregnant woman, an 80-year-old woman and a minor girl.
He said although four women were admitted to the hospital with serious injuries, under police pressure, the doctor gave a false certificate that there was no injury.
Bahinipati showed the photographs of the injuries and also demanded action against the doctor. He demanded a magistrate-level probe into the incident. He also demanded immediate suspension of the SDPO.
Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra demanded a judicial probe into the incident.
The BJP too demanded a judicial inquiry and also a probe by a House Committee.
Speaker Arukha directed Minister of State for Home Tusarkanti Behera to make a statement on the issue before the end of the day’s businesses. Accordingly, Behera informed that the Crime Branch would investigate the case.