Kataka: Former Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Talachua Marine Police Station in Kendrapada district, Sandhyarani Jena, is facing a departmental inquiry over allegations of custodial torture of a 55-year-old woman and her 31-year-old son at the police station in May this year.Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Vinaytosh Mishra has ordered a proceeding inquiry against Jena in connection with the alleged third-degree torture of the mother-son duo.In an official order, the DGP stated the departmental proceeding had been initiated against Jena on charges of gross misconduct, abuse of official position, dereliction of duty, suppression of evidence and conduct unbecoming of a police officer.The DGP has appointed Kendrapara Additional Superintendent of Police (SP) Sudhakar Sahoo as the Enquiry Officer and Gopinath Pradhan, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), IUCAW, Kendrapada, as the Marshalling Officer. Both officers have been directed to conduct the inquiry expeditiously and submit their findings within 45 days.Jena, currently serving as an Inspector in the Crime Branch (CID-CB), Odisha, allegedly assaulted, intimidated and misbehaved with Annapurna Mandal and her son, Ananta Mandal, inside the Talachua Marine Police Station premises on May 25, 2026, during a discussion over a family dispute.According to the allegations, Jena, who was then heading the police station, used criminal force against the mother and son, abused them in filthy language and threatened them with dire consequences.Following a complaint by the victims, the incident drew criticism and prompted the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Subsequently, the then Kendrapada SP Siddharth Kataria ordered a probe into the allegations. Jena was later suspended on charges of misconduct and dereliction of duty.CCTV at police station formatted .In his inquiry report, Pattamundai Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sukanta Kumar Patra found the CCTV footage recorded at Talachua Marine Police Station had been deliberately formatted and deleted.The CCTV technician reportedly informed the inquiry that the surveillance system was functioning properly and the CCTV and administrator passwords had been shared with Jena at her request shortly before the footage was erased.Subsequently, the hard disks were found to have been formatted, leaving no footage available for examination.The preliminary inquiry further revealed the deletion could not have occurred automatically and appeared to be deliberate.The SDPO’s report also pointed out, being the official custodian of the CCTV system and its passwords, Jena’s alleged intentional deletion of the footage indicated malafide intent to destroy material evidence relevant to the inquiry and obstruct the process of establishing the truth.The DGP’s order also referred to the medical examination of Ananta Mandal at the Community health Centre (CHC), Rajnagar. The Medical Officer who examined him found an abrasion injury, which was assessed to be less than 24 hours old. The medical findings provided corroboration to the allegations of physical assault levelled by the complainants, the order stated.Jena was subsequently asked to submit her preliminary explanation regarding the allegations. However, the explanation furnished by her was found to be unsatisfactory.The DGP’s order stated her alleged actions amounted to gross misconduct, abuse of official position, dereliction of duty and suppression of evidence, in violation of Rule 3 of the Odisha Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1959…
Custodial torture at Talachua Marine Police Station: Odisha DGP orders proceeding inquiry against woman Inspector
