Guwahati: Utpal Bora, the former officer-in-charge (OC) of Dhula Police Station in Assam’s Darrang district, was dismissed from service on Wednesday after a departmental inquiry into the unnatural death of a minor girl in 2022.
Assam’s Director General of Police, Gyanendra Pratap Singh, revealed via X that sub-inspector Bora was dismissed due to misconduct during his time at Dhula Police Station.
The departmental proceeding (No. 01/2023) against Bora was based on evidentiary records and witness statements, leading to his dismissal for gross misconduct, as stated by DGP Singh.
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This case revolves around the death of a 13-year-old girl at the residence of Krishna Kamal Baruah in Dhula on June 11, 2022.
Following allegations of mishandling the case, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered the immediate suspension of Rajmohan Ray, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Darrang district, Additional SP Rupam Phukan, and OC Utpal Bora in August 2022.
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As the investigation continued, three doctors from Mangaldoi Civil Hospital—Dr Arun Ch. Deka, Dr Ajanta Bordoloi, and Dr Anupam Sharma—were arrested for initially misrepresenting the girl’s death as a suicide. A subsequent post-mortem by medical experts from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), AIIMS, and NEIGRIHMS confirmed that the girl had been molested and murdered.
The Crime Investigation Department (CID), which took over the investigation, summoned Ashirbad Hazarika, Executive Magistrate of the Dalgaon Revenue Circle, who was later granted bail by the Gauhati High Court in November.
In February of the following year, the CID filed a supplementary charge sheet.
Subsequently, in March, Utpal Bora and his wife were re-arrested. In April, DGP Singh announced that Raj Mohan Ray, the former SP of Darrang and another accused, had been relieved of his duties as part of Assam Police’s strict policy against misconduct.
This policy also disqualifies those involved from future employment within the force.