Woman cop found hanging in Odisha; family alleges harassment by boss

The woman was taken to a local hospital where doctors declared her dead, Patnaik said.Beheras mother demanded justice as she accused G Udayagiri police station inspector Rebati Sabar, also a woman, of harassing her daughter for the past few months.She Behera called up last evening and said the inspector was mentally harassing her.

After a woman sub-inspector was found hanging inside her quarters in southern Odisha's Kandhamal district on Saturday, her family accused the in charge of the police station where she was posted of mentally harassing her.

An officer said Swagatika Behera, aged around 30, was posted at G Udayagiri police station, around 200 kilometres from state capital Bhubaneswar.

Behera, who hailed from Khurda district, was staying alone in the quarters, Sub-Divisional police Officer Tirupati Rao Patnaik said.

The sub-inspector was found hanging in the morning from a ceiling fan. The woman was taken to a local hospital where doctors declared her dead, Patnaik said.

Behera's mother demanded justice as she accused G Udayagiri police station inspector Rebati Sabar, also a woman, of harassing her daughter for the past few months.

''She (Behera) called up last evening and said the inspector was mentally harassing her. The officer told her to leave the job if she couldn’t handle the workload,'' her mother told reporters.

Another family member demanded a probe into the suicide by the Crime Branch and action against the inspector.

Sabar, however, claimed that Behera seemed somewhat depressed during duty hours.

Superintendent of Police Vinit Agrawal said why Behera took such a step is not known yet.

The body was sent for autopsy and the incident would be probed from all angles, he added.