'Tortured' by DIG's wife, woman home guard loses legs in suicide bid

A woman home guard of Odisha lost both of her legs under the wheels of a running train in her attempt to die by suicide allegedly after being tortured by a DIG-rank officer's wife, at whose residence she was working.

The picture of the woman home guard with amputated legs sent shock waves across the state with Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) taking suo motu cognisance of the matter and directing the Director General of Police (DGP) to inquire into the matter and submit a report by September 15.

The state government on Tuesday transferred North Central Range DIG, Angul, Brijesh Kumar Rai and posted him at the State Police Headquarters.

EOW/STF IGP, JN Pankaj has been asked to look after the NC Range, official sources said.

In a written complaint to DG Home Guard, Sudhanshu Sarangi on August 13, the victim accused the senior IPS officer's wife of verbally abusing her and beating her up if she failed to perform her job properly.

Rai, however, rejected the allegations and claimed that the woman home guard, identified as Souridri Sahu of Angul district, was disturbed because of some family issues.

The DG Home Guard said the allegations will be verified.

In her complaint, Sahu alleged that on August 4, she was also dragged out of the house and abused by the officer's wife as she could not wash some clothes.

Suffering humiliation and torture, the victim claimed in the letter that she decided to die by suicide by jumping before a running train.

While she was standing by the side of the railway tracks when a train was approaching on August 4, she fell down due to vibration and lost her two legs.

Sahu is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack.

Though the woman home guard has not yet filed any police complaint in this regard, she has written to Governor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and several others.

Terming her accusations as baseless, Rai, a 2009-batch IPS officer, said, "She had some family issues and was mentally disturbed. We have never mistreated her. Someone might have instigated her to go against us."

The home guard is a widow and lives with her two daughters.

One of her daughters, Suchismita, dismissed Rai's claims of family issues being the reason behind her mother's suicide attempt.

"My mother was upset due to the torture being inflicted upon her by the officer's wife. Unable to come to terms with the stress, she decided to end her life," Suchismita said.

The DG Home Guard said the government will bear the medical expenses of the woman home guard.

"We will speak to her once she is discharged from the hospital. Subsequently, necessary action will be taken," he said.

Odisha Bharatiya Janata Party vice president Lekhasri Samantsinghar in a social media post said, 'It is an utter shame and highly deplorable that @odisha_police DIG and his family have tortured and pushed a home guard to attempt suicide. It is a matter of serious concern that such an act of cruelty has gone unpunished even when the victim has lost both her legs.'

'... We demand a thorough investigation and immediate action against the alleged DIG and his wife,' she said.

A BJP delegation led by Lekhasri Samantsinghar could not meet the victim home guard at the hospital due to restrictions, it later met DGP S K Bansal.

The BJP demanded Rs 1 crore compensation for the victim and government jobs for her two daughters besides a criminal case against the IPS officer and his wife.