Tortured’ by IPS officer’s wife, woman home guard loses legs in suicide bid

Bhubaneswar: A woman home guard lost 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. She was working at their residence.

In a written complaint to Odisha's Home Guard Director General Sudhanshu Sarangi, 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.

The officer, North Central Range DIG Brijesh Kumar Rai, 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 DIG was transferred to State police headquarters at Cuttack after the allegations were raised, an official said. Sudhansu Sarangi said the allegations will be verified.

In her complaint, Souridri alleged that on August 4, she was 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. Souridri is currently undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Cuttack.

The woman has not yet filed any police complaint in this regard, but 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.

Sudhansu Sarangi 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.