4 min readBhubaneswarAug 22, 2023 08:03 PM IST
First published on: Aug 22, 2023 at 08:02 PM IST
A woman Home Guard of Odisha lost both her legs under the wheels of a running train in a purported attempt to die by suicide, allegedly after she was continuously tortured by the wife of a DIG-rank officer, at whose house she was working.
DIG, Talcher, Brijesh Kumar Rai has denied the allegations.
The Home Guard, identified as Sairindri Sahu, 47, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack. Sahu, a widow, has been serving as a Home Guard for the last 19 years. She comes from Odisha’s Angul district.
In a written complaint to state Home Guard Director General Sudhanshu Sarangi, the victim accused the senior IPS officer’s wife of verbally abusing her and beating her if she failed to perform her job properly.
A 2009-batch IPS, Rai was quoted as saying by PTI, “She had some family issues and was mentally disturbed. We have never mistreated her. Someone might have instigated her to go against us.”
Dismissing his claims, Sahu’s elder daughter, Suchismita, denied family issues being the reason behind her mother’s attempt to die by suicide. “My mother was upset due to the torture being inflicted upon her by the officer’s wife. Unable to come to terms with the stress, she decided to end her life,” Suchismita was quoted by the agency.
Rai was transferred to the state police headquarters in Cuttack after the allegations were raised.
Rai was promoted and transferred as DIG, north-central range, Talcher, in December 2022. Sahu was posted at his official residence.
According to information, Sahu had attempted to die by suicide on August 4. She lodged a complaint with Home Guard D-G Sarangi on August 13.
Sarangi said the commandant, Home Guards, Angul, has been asked to submit a factual report in this regard. “We will speak to her once she is discharged from hospital. Subsequently, necessary action will be taken,” Sarangi was quoted as saying by PTI.
The Odisha Human Rights Commission has directed the state DGP to inquire into the allegations and submit a report by September 15.
In her complaint to Sarangi, Sahu accused Rai’s wife of engaging her in household work. She alleged that the officer’s wife mistreated her whenever she asked for leave and always threatened to get her sacked from her job as Home Guard.
On the day of the incident — August 4 — Sahu alleged that the DIG’s wife asked her to wash some clothes. When she said she could not do that, as she had a leg injury, the officer’s wife allegedly dragged her out of the house by her neck and abused her, Sahu wrote in the complaint. She also stated that the humiliation, mental and physical torture prompted her to try and end her life.
According to her complaint, Sahu had gone to the railway tracks to die by suicide and fell on the tracks due to strong vibration triggered by an approaching high-speed train. Although her body fell outside the tracks, her legs got crushed under the train’s wheels.
In her complaint, Sahu has demanded compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a job as Home Guard for her elder daughter.
Her daughter Suchismita told The Indian Express over the phone: “We have to be with our mother all day and thus have not had the time to register a police complaint. My mother has served many officers during her 19-year stint (as a home guard) but never complained against anyone. We urge the seniors to inquire into the matter and take action accordingly.”
The Home Guard, identified as Sairindri Sahu, 47, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack. 
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