Case registered against SP for assaulting pregnant woman

A case has been registered against the Superintendent of Police of Odisha's Sundargarh district for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman last month which lead to her miscarriage, a police officer said on Sunday.

The case was registered at Hemgiri Police Station in the district against SP Saumya Mishra on August 14 as per an order of Sundergarh Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), the officer said.

The directive came following a complaint lodged by a woman, Priya Dey (22) of Kanika village under Hemgiri police station limit on August 5 this year. The woman in her complaint claimed that she had a miscarriage following police action last month.

Efforts to contact the SP for comments over phone failed as she did not respond.

The SP has been booked under sections 427 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation), 457 (house trespass), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (obscene act in any public place causing annoyance to others), 342 , 313 (causing miscarriage without woman's consent), 166 (public servant disobeying law), 167, 503 and 504 of IPC, police said.

The woman in her complaint alleged that a police team led by the SP conducted a raid at her residence on July 4 while searching for her husband Uttam Dey in connection with an incident of vandalism.

The woman said the police team abused and threatened her while asking about the whereabouts of her husband, Uttam Dey.

The woman also alleged that the police officer had hit her hard in the abdomen due to which she "suffered a miscarriage".

She said there was delay in approaching the court as her efforts to lodge an FIR with the police failed.

The police raid on the woman's house was conducted a day after several residents of Kanika village had blocked the road in front of Kanika police outpost protesting death of a boy in a road accident on July 3.

Angry locals had ransacked vehicles and pelted stones. Police had identified 13 persons for their involvement in the incident including Priya's husband Uttam and were looking for him.