In 2020, Odisha heard one of the horrifying abuses of police power. A 13-year-old tribal girl from Biramitrapur entered a police station expecting protection but was sexually assaulted over four months by the police men of the same station. The abuse resulted in her pregnancy, which was subsequently aborted. The violence was so horrifying that it shook the conscience of the state. The Director General of Police issued a rare public apology, calling the officer's conduct "shameful."

This is not an isolated concern. Across the country, allegations of custodial violence, illegal detention, intimidation, torture, sexual violence, and excessive use of force continue to emerge. 

 But apologies are not accountability.  I filed a Right to Information (RTI) application to understand a simple question: Does Odisha have an independent Police Complaints Authority where citizens can seek justice for police misconduct?

The response I received was anything but clear.

The absence of a transparent answer reveals a larger institutional problem. If citizens cannot even determine where to report police misconduct, how can they hope to receive an independent and impartial investigation? 

This raises an uncomfortable question for every constitutional democracy: Who investigates the police when the police themselves are accused of violating the law?

The answer cannot be the police.

Odisha, like several other states, still does not have a clearly designated, fully independent and effective Police Complaints Authority that ordinary citizens can easily access. This is despite the Supreme Court's landmark judgment in Prakash Singh v. Union of India (2006), which directed every state to establish independent Police Complaints Authorities to investigate serious allegations against police personnel. Nearly twenty years later, this constitutional safeguard remains unrealized. The Constitution of India does not permit unchecked State power.

Like many Indians, I have grown up fearing the police more than trusting them. My own experiences with law enforcement have left me with questions rather than confidence. Recent visuals from Jantar Mantar of Police abusing and assaulting women and furthermore laughing about it have made my fear deepen . No citizen should have to fear those who are meant to protect them.

This campaign is not against the police.It is against the excesses by the police wherever it may be. It is against impunity.

We request  the Home Department of the Government of Odisha to:

Immediately establish a fully independent Police Complaints Authority at the State and District levels, in compliance with the Supreme Court's directions in Prakash Singh v. Union of India (2006).

Empower it to investigate complaints of custodial violence, sexual violence, illegal detention, torture, deaths in custody, and excessive use of force.

Make information about the Authority publicly available so every citizen knows where and how to file a complaint.

Publish annual reports detailing complaints received, investigations conducted, and action taken.

Sign this petition. Demand an Independent Police Complaints Authority in Odisha. Because no authority that derives its power from the Constitution should ever be above it.

Photo Credits : TNIE