Rape at Ludhiana police post: Head constable in net, in-charge suspended

Punjab State Women Commission chairperson Manisha Gulati asks commissioner of police to submit a detailed action-taken report in two days.

Absconding after being booked for raping a 24-year-old woman at the Mundian Police Post on December 6, suspended head constable Rakesh Kumar was arrested on Tuesday.

He had been hiding in a house near Jalandhar Bypass to avoid arrest after being booked on Sunday, the Jamalpur police said. Kumar, 45, had joined the police force 26 years ago. He was last deputed in the commando unit.

Meanwhile, following his transfer to police lines, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sukhwinder Singh, in-charge of the Mundian police post, has also been suspended and replaced by ASI Dalbir Singh. Apart from Sukhwinder, 11 more cops were transferred to police lines.

A hunt is on for the arrest of the rest of the accused, including three women and a man, who had assaulted the victim, torn her clothes, molested her and also filmed her.

“A medical examination of the woman will be conducted on Wednesday. Her statement will also be recorded in court under Sections 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,” said inspector Kulwant Singh, SHO, Jamalpur police station.

He added that the police will also record statements of her husband and his friend, who was also beaten up by the accused for allegedly having illicit relations with the woman.

‘No one came for help’

The 24-year-old woman said despite her pleas, cops took her to the police post on December 6 after the accused filed a false complaint against her.

She alleged that around 1.30am on December 7, head constable Kumar took her to a room on the first floor of the police post, stating that a female cop will question her, but there was no woman there.

He then raped her repeatedly and did not allow her to get dressed. He released her at 4.30am and threatened her to stay mum.

“At least four police personnel were present in the police station. I cried for help, but no one came to my rescue and kept laughing at me,” she alleged.

“I then went to the civil hospital for medical examination, but the cops followed me and made me leave without getting examined. They threatened to implicate my husband in a fake case if I filed a rape complaint,” she added.

But, after staying quiet for 11 days, she gathered the courage to file a complaint with the police commissioner on December 17, following which a probe was ordered and the head constable was booked on January 3.

Women commission seeks report from top cop

Taking cognisance of the incident, Punjab State Women Commission (PSWC) chairperson Manisha Gulati has asked commissioner of police Rakesh Agrawal to submit a detailed action-taken report in two days.

She has also sought a report on why there was a need to keep the woman at the police post overnight and details of the conditions surrounding her detainment.

“I have asked the Ludhiana police to submit a report within two days and asked to make it clear why the woman was detained overnight if no female cop was available at the police post,” she said.

Gulati has also written to chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future and to take steps so that women feel safe while visiting police stations.