Public support is pouring in for Ankita, the fiancée of the Captain of the 22 Sikh Regiment, who was manhandled by police at a police station.

In a damage control exercise, Odisha police have suspended the inspector and four other police officials with immediate effect for their “gross misconduct.”

In support of Ankita and the Captain, retired defence personnel organised a protest rally in front of the Commissionerate Police, demanding stringent punishment against those involved in manhandling the Captain and his fiancee. What has hurt the people most is the allegation about police outraging the modesty of Ankita and keeping the Captain in the police lockup for four hours. Instead of acting against the miscreants, the police forwarded her to the court.

Ankita’s father, Brigadier Antaryami Pradhan (retired), president of ex-servicemen, Odisha, told The Telegraph: “We want justice for our daughter Ankita and demand a CBI or judicial probe into the issue. The police officials involved in outraging my daughter’s modesty should be put behind bars. This is criminal intimidation. The high court on Wednesday granted bail to Ankita, who is now undergoing treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.”

As the pressure mounts, the Odisha police on Wednesday suspended five cops, including former inspector-in-charge of Bharatpur Police Station, who have been accused of manhandling Captain Gurvansh Singh Gosal and his fiancée Ankita when they came to the police seeking their help on the intervening night of September 14 and September 15.

They had approached the police for help against those unknown miscreants who assaulted them.