Bhubaneswar: Bharatpur police station that once had the distinction of being an iconic and ultra-modern station in Odisha , has now come to national limelight for a wrong reason. Every comment in social media on the alleged custodial torture and sexual assault of fiancee of an Army captain starts with Bharatpur PS in Odisha. Built at a cost of Rs 4.
5 crore, then chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the building in March, two months before the elections. The police station’s built-up area is 11,400 sq ft, possibly the biggest PS in state. The building looks no less than a star hotel.
To make it people-friendly, the station was designed to provide comfort to the complainants — elderly, women and children apart from having provisions to add to the comfort of policemen. The two-storey building has all modern amenities unlike other police stations in the city. Senior police officers said the aesthetic touch lent to the structure and ambience is meant to give a soothing feeling.
The beautiful landscaping and reception area add to it. “A police station may wear an iconic look with exterior and interior design. But what is needed to justify its look is behaviour of on-duty police personnel.
They should have patience to deal with complaints. They shouldn’t lose their cool. That is when we successfully run a model police station.
Modern facilities must come up in police stations but police should also maintain restraint while dealing with sensitive issues, particularly tho.