E-Paper
Victim’s statement changed in POCSO case: Suspended SHO, SI booked in Ambala
The FIR came after the victim’s family had written to various authorities calling out for an action against the officers for changing their original statement and weakening the case by adding flimsy charges in favour of the accused
Two days after the station in-charge of Naraingarh women police station, inspector Satwinder Kaur, was suspended for allegedly changing the statement of a rape survivor in a case lodged under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act in June, she along with the investigating officer, sub-inspector Rajwinder Kaur, were booked on Saturday.
The FIR came after the victim’s family had written to various authorities calling out for an action against the officers for changing their original statement and weakening the case by adding flimsy charges in favour of the accused. Subsequently, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Hamid Akhtar marked an inquiry to deputy superintendent of police (DSP, Barara) Rajnish Kumar.
While Akhtar didn’t respond to calls, Kumar said, “I found that the allegations levelled by the family were true and a case was lodged against the officers.”
The officers, Satwinder, 40, and Rajwinder, 35, who have yet to be arrested, remained incommunicado for a comment.
The FIR was lodged under Sections 166A (public servant disobeying direction under law), 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of the offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture) of the Indian Penal Code.
As per the case, an 18-year-old girl had complained on June 26 that a 25-year-old Navneet had repeatedly raped her, given her abortion pills and violently sexually assaulted her.
“We had e-mailed the complaint to the SSP and DSP concerned, and on the Whatsapp number of the SHO. But we found that the mobile number on the official website was old, so my cousin handed over the complaint at her office later in the evening. After this, the police raided his house the same night, but he was not found there and the officers started pressuring us to change my statement in favour of Navneet,” said the Class 12 student.
The girl further said that the officers had taken her and her mother’s signatures on plain papers. On June 27, the girl was referred to the civil hospital in the city for an ultrasound because of the abortion pills she was given. But after waiting for hours at the hospital, the next day, the girl alleged, Rajwinder told them that she didn’t need to get the test done.
“We were yet to get an FIR copy, so we went to the police station to get one and were shocked to read my statement different from what we had sent. The case was lodged under the same act in three-four lines with mention only of rape and all other allegations were removed,” the survivor alleged
