Punjab cop dismissed for sexually harassing British tourist on train

Punjab home guard Sukhwinder Singh, who sexually harassed a British student aboard an Amritsar-Delhi train, was dismissed from service on Friday.

He was sent to one-day police remand by an Amritsar court.

Sukhwinder was arrested by Government Railway Police (GRP) after the UK national accused him of sexually harassing her aboard Shaheed Express on May 19. He was booked under sections 354 (a) and (b) that deal with sexual harassment, said a Punjab home guards and civil defence department spokesperson.

The case was referred to the divisional commandant, Punjab home guards, Jalandhar, and on the basis of a report submitted by the investigating officer Sukhwinder was discharged from duties with immediate effect.

The woman has asked the cop for help at the Amritsar railway station against a pestering bystander.

Sukhvinder was arrested after pressure built by the victim's written complaint to British High Commission forced the case to be registered two days after the incident. The victim says that for an entire day, her friends tried to get a complaint registered with Punjab Police, who did not respond. GRP station house officer (SHO) Dharminder Kalyan from Amritsar said: "The woman's complaint seems genuine, and we got into action as soon as it came to us."

"I could have been raped. It's my luck that I escaped unhurt," said the 23-year-old.