BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha govt on Tuesday suspended Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao, a DIG-ranked IPS officer, for allegedly misbehaving with a woman inspector in her home at Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
Pandit had last month returned from the US after pursuing a mid-career course on public administration at Harvard Kennedy School.
According to the chief minister’s office (CMO), Pandit (51), who was posted as DIG (fire services and home guards), was suspended following a confidential report submitted by the DGP on the alleged incident.
“There was an allegation against Pandit that he abused his position and indulged in misconduct. Chief minister Mohan Majhi promptly suspended the IPS officer for his indiscipline and ordered initiation of disciplinary proceeding against him,” a written statement from the CMO said.
Sources in the DGP’s office said that Pandit, a 2007 batch IPS officer, had visited the inspector’s official residence on Saturday night and subsequently, an altercation broke out between the two. Pandit allegedly created a ruckus and misbehaved with the inspector and her family. Neither the inspector nor her family members filed a police complaint against him.
According to the home department order, “The DGP submitted a confidential report against Pandit on the incident that took place under the jurisdiction of the Capital police station. A disciplinary proceeding against him is contemplated on the grounds of grave misconduct as a member of the Indian Police Service.”
“The govt has placed Pandit under immediate suspension. During the suspension period, Pandit is required to report to the state police headquarters and cannot leave without the DGP’s permission,” the order read.
Capital police station said it had not received any written complaint against Pandit, although a police control room vehicle was dispatched to the woman inspector’s quarters on Saturday following reports of disturbance at her residence. Attempts to reach out to Pandit, the woman officer and her family members were unsuccessful.
Pandit is the second IPS officer suspended in the state in the last two months. The Election Commission of India on May 28 had suspended ADG-ranked officer D S Kutey, who was then the special secretary to former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, for “unduly interfering in conduct of election”. On July 15, the BJP govt revoked Kutey’s suspension and posted him as an officer on special duty (OSD) in the home department.