Odisha Police officer suspended for torturing 'minor' wife

Efforts are on to nab the SI. Representational Pic

A sub-inspector (SI) of Odisha Police has been suspended for allegedly forcefully marrying a minor and torturing her, an officer said on Friday.

The SI, a resident of the Baliapal area in Balasore district, was posted in Puri district.

He allegedly married a Class 10 student (15/16 years) of Jagatsinghpur district after developing a relationship with her on Facebook, the police said.

"The accused forcefully married my minor daughter in July 2024. She was forced to tell others that her age was 22. After the marriage, he and his family members tortured her physically and mentally," alleged the girl's mother.

The cop lured the girl with the promise of providing her a job in the police department and married her without the knowledge of her family in a temple in Rayagada district, she alleged.

"After the completion of one year of their marriage, the police officer and his family members started torturing my daughter. Though an FIR was lodged four months ago, the police did not take any action in the case," the girl's mother claimed.

The SI then left his wife at her parental home in Jagatsinghpur, she added.

Jagatsinghpur SP Bhawani Sankar Udgata said that the SI married a minor, and he was booked under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and the POCSO Act.

"After receiving a written complaint from the victim, a case has been registered at Jagatsinghpur Town police station. As the victim had earlier informed him that she would lodge a police complaint, the cop is absconding from Puri," Udgata said.

"When we intimated Puri SP about the incident, he suspended the accused from police service," Udgata said.

Efforts are on to nab the SI.

"We have also obtained a non-bailable warrant against the accused," the SP said. The other accused family members of the cop surrendered before a local court as per an order of the high court and got bail, he added.

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