A 22-year-old woman tried to end her life, two days after she and her live-in partner were reportedly tortured by the Panchkula police.
The woman had also submitted a written complaint, narrating her ordeal, to the Haryana State Commission for Women on December 19.
“She (the woman’s 19-year-old female friend) told me that her father was forcefully marrying her off to someone. As I could not see her in distress, we planned to go to Delhi. The friend also tried to reason out with her family members a couple of times but to no avail. One day, they informed us that an FIR has been registered against me. So, we both appeared at the Sector 25 police post around 11am on December 16,” the complaint reads.
The said FIR, lodged by the 19-year-old woman’s family against the 22-year-old woman, was registered on December 1 under Section 346 (wrongful confinement in secret) of the Indian Penal Code at Chandimandir police station.
The woman said when her friend told the police that she wants to live with me, a policeman slapped and abused her.
She alleged that the duo was then taken to court and brought back to the police post.
{{/usCountry}}She alleged that the duo was then taken to court and brought back to the police post.
{{/usCountry}}“On our way back, a policeman named Anand took away my mobile phone and threatened me. Later, he sought a bribe of ₹5,000 to let us go. When I refused, he threatened to thrash me and put me behind bars,” the complaint said.
The woman alleged that besides being manhandled by the cops, she and her friend were made to sit at the police station till late evening, even as there was no female police officer around.
In the complaint, the woman sought action against a policeman named Anand, who allegedly abused and thrashed her. The woman also sought to be reunited with her friend and protection. Besides, she also sought closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) footage of the police post from 11:08am to 8pm on December 16.
Haryana state women’s commission chairperson Renu Bhatia said: “I have gone through the woman’s complaint and a staff member will meet her tomorrow. This complaint will be taken very seriously.”
The woman had also submitted her complaint at the office of deputy commissioner of police (DCP) and CM window, and later consumed poison.
She has been under treatment at the civil hospital for the last four days.
When contacted, SI Singh Raj, the in-charge of the Sector 25 police post, said he was not aware of any such case or woman. DCP Sumer Pratap Singh and assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Aryan Chaudhary did not reply to repeated texts and calls by HT.