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UP cop humiliated rape survivor’s father before a truck hit, killed him: Family
The family on Wednesday blamed the accused for the accident and said the police were initially reluctant to file a gang-rape complaint and that they made the survivor undergo medical examination five times
A police circle officer allegedly humiliated the father of a 13-year-old gang-rape survivor before he died in Kanpur on Wednesday when a truck hit him outside a health centre as his daughter was undergoing a medical examination, their family has said. They have also accused Girish Chandra, the officer, of allegedly harassing and humiliating the girl and getting her locked up in a maternity room of the centre.
The son of another police officer and his friends are accused of raping her.
The family on Wednesday blamed the accused for the accident and said the police were initially reluctant to file a gang-rape complaint and that they made the survivor undergo medical examination five times.
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Chandra did not respond to calls and messages for comments.
A family member said the man responsible for the father’s death was asked to probe when he needed to be punished. “An uncle of the girl said the circle officer behaved as if he was above the law,” he said. “He abused my brother and niece several times in presence of others,” he said. The family member added Chandra kept sending the girl from one hospital to another for medical examination.
“How many times a victim is examined medically? He abused them several times, even at the hospital. He brazenly questioned her character in presence of other policemen who laughed. I was there.”
The family member said Chandra took her to a second medical centre and did not allegedly allow the girl and her parents to leave for their village. “He spoke to the medical superintendent and asked for a ward. He was told there is none except for a maternity ward. The mother and the victim were sent inside, and he got the door locked from outside.”
He added the father was allegedly taken to a police station. “I do not know what he went through there,” he said.
Deputy inspector general Preetinder Singh was unavailable for comments.
Police superintendent (Kanpur rural) Brijesh Srivastava did not call back after promising to do so when asked about the allegations against Chandra.
Singh earlier suspended three policemen on Thursday citing “gross negligence” in the case after Chandra indicted them even as their role is believed to have been limited to sending the father to hospital after the truck hit him, said people aware of the matter.
Dhanesh Prasad, the local station house officer, said: “Why do not you ask the CO [circle officer Chandra]...he was involved in the case at every step. I cannot comment more than this.”
The family said after the gang-rape complaint was filed on Tuesday, the accused assaulted the father and were pressuring him to withdraw the case filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. One of the accused also threatened the minor with dire consequences if she reported the sexual assault.
“When my brother was coming to the police station, the accused Deepak Yadav and others accosted and assaulted him,” the girl’s uncle said on Wednesday. “They threatened him with dire consequences for pursuing the case.”
