[ad_1]
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
The Thiruvananthapuram City police have come under criticism for laxity in responding to a distress call by a woman who was allegedly subjected to sexual assault during the late hours in the city a week ago.
While the delay in registering a case has also put the police force on the dock, two officers have been placed under suspension for the lapse. The incident has brought women safety into focus yet again in the State capital.
The alleged incident that occurred on March 13 around 11 p.m. came to light when the survivor, a 49-year-old woman, recounted her traumatic experience to mediapersons on Monday.
The complainant had come under attack at Moolavilakam Junction, near Pattoor, when she was on her way back to her home on a scooter from a pharmacy near General Hospital.
Having managed to evade an initial assault attempt made by the motorcycle-borne perpetrator, she sped towards her house nearby. However, as she attempted to turn towards a path that led to her home, the unidentified person intercepted her and allegedly molested her.
The survivor’s attempts at thwarting him turned futile as he banged her head on a compound wall, resulting in significant injuries on her left eye, head and cheeks. She claimed while a few women and a security guard of a computer shop witnessed the crime, none stepped in to save her.
The woman’s daughter informed the Pettah police of the incident soon after she returned home. “While all that the police had done was note our address, they did not bother to arrange an ambulance despite our requests,” the woman said. They did not wait further as her daughter took her to a private hospital.
An hour later, the police purportedly called them and asked them to lodge a complaint at the police station. While no subsequent action was taken, the Pettah police finally registered a case on the third day of the incident after the survivor had petitioned the District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram City).
Suspended
Senior civil police officer Renjith and civil police officer Jayaraj have been suspended on the basis of a preliminary probe by the Special Branch. While the officers went to the place of crime, they neither visited the survivor in the hospital nor recorded her statement in order to register a case. The incident was also not reported to their senior officials, the probe found.
While the Pettah police gathered a number of CCTV footage, they are yet to apprehend the accused.
Reaction
Kerala Women’s Commission chairperson P. Satheedevi came down heavily on the conduct of the Pettah police in the case.
She said it was highly improper to direct the complainant to come to the police station in person to lodge a complaint despite being informed by her daughter that she had sustained injuries. Besides, calling survivors in such cases to police stations was illegal, she added.
The commission has registered a suo moto case and has ordered the Pettah police to submit a report.
[ad_2]
Source link
