Bus harassment: 6 cops get notice

Six policemen from Goregaon, Amboli and Oshiwara police stations have been served show-cause notices after a departmental inquiry found them at fault for not registering a 19-year-old girl’s complaint. Mohamed Thaver reports.

Six policemen from Goregaon, Amboli and Oshiwara police stations have been served show-cause notices after a departmental inquiry found them at fault for not registering a 19-year-old girl’s complaint on December 10 that she was verbally abused and threatened by a BEST bus conductor.

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An inquiry was ordered after Gazala Shaikh alleged that she had to visit three police stations before a non-cognisable offence was registered at Oshiwara. As reported in HT, at the other two police stations, officials disregarded procedure and refused to register the complaint, claiming that the incident did not take place in their jurisdictions.

After HT reported the incident, Pratap Dighavkar, zonal deputy commissioner, was asked to conduct a departmental inquiry.

Sadanand Date, joint commissioner of police, law and order, said: “It was found that six policemen from the three police stations were directly or in a supervisory role responsible for not registering the girl’s complaint.”

Date said the errant policemen have been sent show-cause notices asking them to explain why they did not follow protocol. “We are waiting for their replies, following which departmental action will be taken.”