A criminal case has been filed against Sandhyarani Jena, the suspended Inspector of Police in charge of Talachua Marine Police Station in Odisha’s Kendrapada district, for allegedly assaulting a woman and her son while they were in custody. The case was registered at the Talachua Marine Police Station, and further investigation is currently underway.
This legal action follows the suspension order issued by Director General of Police (DGP) Y B Khurania, which cited gross misconduct and dereliction of duty. Jena is facing serious charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The incident has attracted considerable attention due to allegations of physical assault on the mother-son duo while they were detained.
The suspension order mandates that Jena remains under the disciplinary control of the Inspector General of Police, Central Range, Cuttack, during her suspension period. The allegations of custodial torture emerged after Annapurna Mandal (55) and her son Ananta Kumar Mandal (31) from Giriapahi village were summoned to the police station on May 25 regarding a family dispute, following a complaint lodged by Annapurna’s husband, Manoranjan Mandal.
According to the complaint submitted to the Pattamundai SDPO, Annapurna accused IIC Jena of abusing her, dragging her by the hair, slapping her, and wiping off her sindoor. She further alleged that her son was taken into a toilet, severely beaten by Jena and a constable, and nearly strangled. The mother and son claimed they were held from approximately 6 pm to 11:40 pm, coerced into signing blank papers, and threatened against disclosing the incident. They also reported that their mobile phone was seized.
Both Annapurna and Ananta sustained multiple injuries and were later admitted to the Rajnagar community health centre (CHC). Medical examinations revealed injury marks on Annapurna’s hands and on Ananta’s neck, hands, legs, and back.
This is not Jena’s first suspension due to alleged misconduct, as she has faced similar actions in previous incidents involving third-degree methods on a youth and the mishandling of accident victims’ bodies in Keonjhar and Jharsuguda districts.
