The Assam police have charge-sheeted an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer for allegedly sexually harassing and assaulting a colleague’s 14-year-old daughter. “The charge sheet was filed after investigation and evidence revealed [Gaurav] Upadhyay’s involvement in the case. The allegations against him have been established,” said criminal investigation department (CID) deputy superintendent Pradip Kumar Das.
The charge sheet, under Indian Penal Code’s Sections 354, 354 A (assault or criminal force to outrage modesty, sexual harassment) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, was filed in March but its details were earlier unavailable. The trial in the case is yet to begin.
Upadhyay, a 2012 batch IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh, was Karbi Anglong police superintendent when he allegedly sexually assaulted the girl in December 2019. He was transferred to Chirang last week as part of mass transfers of police officers after the new government took office this month.
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According to the charge sheet, the girl’s mother, a senior police officer, had gone to Diphu, headquarters of Karbi Anglong, along with her daughter and nine-year-old son in December 2019 to attend the birthday party of Upadhyay’s son. After the party, Upadhyay took the senior officer and her children to show them his office building near his official residence. Upadhyay allegedly forcibly kissed the girl on her lips twice in presence of her brother when their mother excused herself to go to the washroom.
{{/usCountry}}According to the charge sheet, the girl’s mother, a senior police officer, had gone to Diphu, headquarters of Karbi Anglong, along with her daughter and nine-year-old son in December 2019 to attend the birthday party of Upadhyay’s son. After the party, Upadhyay took the senior officer and her children to show them his office building near his official residence. Upadhyay allegedly forcibly kissed the girl on her lips twice in presence of her brother when their mother excused herself to go to the washroom.
{{/usCountry}}Around 2.30am, Upadhyay dropped the three at a hotel where he had booked a suite for them. Upadhyay allegedly touched the girl inappropriately on the pretext of showing her a video on his mobile phone in the sitting room of the suite while her brother and mother were in the bedroom. Upadhyay tried to kiss the girl, but she rushed to the bedroom and closed the door. He apologised for his behaviour when the mother confronted him over it the following day after coming to know about it.
The mother filed a case on January 3, 2020, at a women police station in Guwahati before the case was transferred to the CID. “During the investigation, sufficient evidence has been found to prove that the accused police officer...committed aggravated sexual assault. The accused person used criminal force on the minor victim girl to outrage her modesty, sexually harassed her... ,” said the charge sheet, a copy of which HT has seen. It has cited a psychiatrist’s report saying the girl suffered from depression and anxiety as a result of the “mentally traumatic experience”.
Upadhyay was unavailable for comments.