A criminal case has been registered against Sandhyarani Jena, the suspended Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Talachua Marine Police Station, on allegations of custodial torture and police misconduct, escalating her legal troubles.
The case was filed under Sections 296, 64, 115, 351, and 308 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). This action follows a complaint from Annapurna Mandal, 58, of Giriapahi village, submitted to the Pattamundai SDPO on May 26.
According to the FIR, Annapurna and her 31-year-old son, Ananta Kumar Mandal, were summoned to the police station on May 25 regarding a family dispute initiated by her husband, Paban Kumar Mandal. They claim they were held for nearly six hours and subjected to custodial torture.
Annapurna alleges that IIC Jena verbally abused her, dragged her by the hair, slapped her, and forcibly wiped the vermilion from her forehead. She also claimed that the officer assaulted her with lathis while questioning her about her obedience to her husband and father-in-law, and that she was assaulted while partially disrobed in front of her son.
Ananta reported that he was taken to a police station toilet and beaten by Jena and another officer, who also attempted to strangle him, seized his mobile phone, and coerced him into signing blank documents. Both mother and son stated they were threatened with false charges if they revealed the incident.
Despite the complaint being lodged on May 26, the FIR was only registered on June 1, leading to criticism of the police department’s response. Y.B. Khurania, the Director General of Police, suspended Jena on May 27 for gross misconduct and dereliction of duty.
This is not Jena’s first controversy; she was previously suspended on January 22, 2024, while at Lakhanpur Police Station and was also suspended in May 2020 after a video of her allegedly assaulting a youth during the Covid-19 lockdown went viral, although she was later exonerated by the Odisha Police.
Local residents and civil society groups are now closely monitoring the situation for potential further legal actions, including arrest.
