Two years on, teen molested by constable gets Rs 5 lakh

More than two years after a 12-year-old girl was molested by a drunken police constable, the Delhi government has paid Rs 5 lakh as monetary relief to the victim based on recommendations by the NHRC.

More than two years after a 12-year-old girl was molested by a drunken police constable, the Delhi government has paid Rs 5 lakh as monetary relief to the victim based on recommendations by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Hindustan Times had broken the story in a report published on February 13, 2012, highlighting how a 26-year-old constable Vikas Tomar, who had been inducted in the Delhi Police in 2010, had victimised the girl while patrolling his beat.

“The commission has observed that the constable had prima facie attempted to outrage the modesty of the minor girl for which he was an accused in the FIR no. 22 dated 11th February, 2012. He had been suspended from the service. Therefore, being a public servant, he abused his position and power and violated the human rights of the minor girl for which the state was liable,” a NHRC official told HT.

The incident happened between 9pm and 11pm on February 10, 2012, when the victim — a resident of a slum cluster on the ridge road — was walking back home.

“When she tried to walk away, Tomar grabbed her by the arm and molested her. He then quietly walked away from the area and went back to patrolling his beat, leaving the girl to run crying to her parents,” a police officer said.

The commission, during the course of enquiry, found that the constable was later apprehended by the uncle of the victim with the assistance of some labourers.

“As per the commission’s recommendations, Rs 5 lakh is to be paid as relief to victim. The money is to be put in a fixed deposit in her name and the interest earned on it would be used by her authorized legal guardian for her welfare. The principal, together with any accrued interest, would be at her disposal when she becomes an adult,” the NHRC official added.