E-Paper
DySP demoted for taking bribe to derail probe in gang-rape case
Woman said she got a complaint lodged against two accused, but the cops didn’t pay any heed as they had taken bribe from the offenders
LUCKNOW In a major crackdown on corruption in the police force, the Yogi Adityanath government demoted a deputy superintendent of police (DySP) to a lower position after allegations of taking ₹5 lakh bribe in a gang-rape case in Rampur district were found true against him during an inquiry, officials said on Wednesday.
ADG Prashant Kumar confirmed the decision and stated that the news was shared by the home department via a tweet on Tuesday. The state government has sent a recommendation for the DySP’s demotion to the UPPSC and further action and the rank would be decided after that, he said.
The accused, Vidya Kishore Sharma, who was posted as CO (city) in Rampur, was suspended in December 2021 after a purported video of him accepting money went viral on social media. Initially, he was attached to the DGP headquarters and later sent to the police training centre in Jalaun, said another police official.
He said in 2021, a woman had alleged that two men, including a sub-inspector Ramveer Yadav and a hospital manager Vinod Yadav, had gang-raped her and the cops did not take action after taking bribe. The woman said she got a complaint lodged against them but the cops didn’t pay any heed as they had taken bribe from the offenders.
An FIR was registered against the two accused and DySP Vidya Sharma was suspended after a purported video of him with a bag of money went viral. It only went on to strengthen claims against him that he took bribe for botching up the probe.
The officer said the graft allegations against Vidya Kishore Sharma were found to be true in the probe conducted by ASP (Moradabad). In 2021, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had also tweeted about his suspension and that he had taken cognizance of the matter.
