The Odisha government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the allegations of manhandling and physical abuse of an army captain and his fiancée at a Bhubaneswar police station.

Following the announcement, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) called off its proposed six-hour Bhubaneswar bandh on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister’s Office announced the judicial probe on Sunday midnight after Mohan Charan Majhi returned from a three-day tour from Keonjhar.

The gazette notification issued on Monday stated: “... the state government is deeply concerned about the issue and is of the opinion that this being a matter of serious public importance, should be inquired into by a Commission of Inquiry under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952.”

The commission of inquiry will be headed by Justice Chittaranjan Dash, a retired high court judge, the official notification said.

The panel will examine the sequence of events and circumstances as well as the role, conduct and accountability of individuals and authorities, it said.

The report will be filed within 60 days.

The state government has also requested the Orissa High Court to supervise the investigation being carried out by the crime branch of Odisha police.

The incident had taken place on the intervening night of September 14 and 15 when the army captain attached to the 22 Sikh regiment and his fiancée approached Bharatpur police station to lodge a complaint of road rage in which they were allegedly harassed by some local youths. However, a verbal altercation broke out between the cops and the couple who were allegedly assaulted at the police station.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Justice Dash said: “We will listen to everyone, including the captain, his fiancée and the police. The inquiry will begin one week after the setting up of the office of the inquiry commissioner. The inquiry should be fair. All the parties will come under the investigation ambit. A judicial probe will be different from a crime branch inquiry. The crime branch inquiry will go on its way.”

The Majhi government had come under pressure after leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik condemned the “heinous” incident and demanded a judicial probe. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also tweeted on the issue.

Majhi met the couple and their parents at the state secretariat on Monday morning.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Majhi, the father of the woman said: “We had urged the Odisha government for a judicial inquiry and it has agreed. We welcome the decision and thank the
CM for this.”

A Congress delegation met governor Raghubar Das on Monday and submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India on
the issue.