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'Harassed' by cops, girl jumps into river
A college student jumped into the Chenab river in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir after she was harassed by police for having tea with a young man who studied with her, locals alleged on Monday. The body of the girl, in her 20s, has still not been recovered. HT reports
A college student jumped into the Chenab river in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir after she was harassed by police for having tea with a young man who studied with her, locals alleged on Monday. The body of the girl, in her 20s, has still not been recovered.
Rashida Bano was having tea with Najab Din at a tea stall on the bank of Chenab in Pul Doda town, some 165 km from Jammu, on Sunday.
An assistant sub-inspector was suspended on charges of not handling the matter in a professional manner.
According to the locals, a Special Police Officer (SPO) - who is not a regular police employee but works on consolidated pay - on reaching the tea stall started questioning them.
Locals say they were embarrassed over questioning as the cop used indecent language.
They repeatedly told the police that they are just friends but police personnel took them to the police station and informed their parents.
According to the police, father of the girl said that he will come to the police station to take back her daughter.
Reports suggest that though the police was satisfied that they were just friends and decided to let them go, the girl was terribly upset over the incident especially when her father was informed.
She left the police station and jumped into the near by river Chenab. Her body couldn't be fished out till early Monday morning.
People in the area held protests against the police after the incident.
"Police received information that a girl sitting with her friend has run away from her home and is planning to elope with him. To check this incident from taking place, as incidents of eloping are quite there, police party reached there," SP Doda told HT.
He, however, admitted that it's an unfortunate incident.
Last year, in neighbouring Kishtwar district, two girls committed suicide by jumping into the river after they were questioned by the police for sitting with their class mates on the banks of the river.
(with inputs from IANS)
