PRAYAGRAJ In the case of a vicious attack on a female police constable aboard the Saryu Express on August 30 by unidentified assailants, the Allahabad High Court has ordered the Government Railway Police (GRP), Lucknow, to present a progress report in court on September 13, 2023, the next scheduled hearing date.
Previously, during a special session held on Sunday night, the court took suo moto cognisance of the heinous incident and summoned relevant officials to appear before it. The court decided to treat this matter as a public interest litigation (PIL). This directive was issued by a division bench composed of Chief Justice Pritinker Diwakar and Justice Ashutosh Srivastava on Monday while hearing the PIL.
On Monday, Puja Yadav, superintendent of police (SP) for GRP, Lucknow, along with the deputy superintendent of police (Deputy SP) from the Railway division were present in the court. SP Puja Yadav told the court that the victim’s statement under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) could not be obtained as she is currently unable to provide a statement.
Furthermore, she stated that no evidence implicating any specific individuals has surfaced thus far. Additionally, there is no evidence of sexual assault; the victim’s injuries are confined to her head and face. However, when questioned about the details of the incident and the timing, SP Puja Yadav was unable to provide a clear response. She mentioned that the incident likely occurred between Ayodhya station and Mankapur station, and the weapon used has not been recovered.
{{/usCountry}}Furthermore, she stated that no evidence implicating any specific individuals has surfaced thus far. Additionally, there is no evidence of sexual assault; the victim’s injuries are confined to her head and face. However, when questioned about the details of the incident and the timing, SP Puja Yadav was unable to provide a clear response. She mentioned that the incident likely occurred between Ayodhya station and Mankapur station, and the weapon used has not been recovered.
{{/usCountry}}During the Sunday hearing, the court directed the court registry to serve notices to the central government through its secretary, the Ministry of Railways/Railway Board in New Delhi, the director-general of Railway Protection Force (RPF), the Uttar Pradesh Government through its secretary, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the State Commission for Women, Uttar Pradesh.
It is worth recalling that the 45-year-old woman head constable was discovered unconscious with multiple stab wounds in a general compartment of the Saryu Express at Ayodhya Junction railway station last Wednesday.
Initially, sexual assault was suspected due to the absence of the lower part of the head constable’s uniform. However, SP Puja Yadav of GRP, Lucknow, has refuted any incident of sexual offense based on the ongoing investigation.
An FIR has been registered against unidentified individuals under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant), and 353 (assault of criminal force to deter a public servant) on the complaint of the head constable’s family members at the Ayodhya Cantt GRP station.