The City police have invoked non-bailable penal provisions in the case pertaining to the sexual assault of a woman at the Museum compound two days ago.
The move followed a public outcry against the Museum police that registered the case under bailable charges.
The incident, which had occurred around 4.45 a.m. on Wednesday, has brought the vulnerability of morning walkers, especially women, even when they are a stone’s throw away from a police station in focus.
The complainant came under attack outside the gate of the Museum compound by a man who followed her after parking his car near the LMS junction. CCTV visuals that were recovered from the area showed him jumping the compound wall and fleeing away inside the Museum premises after committing the crime. The woman, who chased him for a considerable distance, soon alerted the officers at a police aid post nearby.
However, the police, the complainant alleged, failed to react swiftly after being informed. They could have nabbed the perpetrator had they alerted the Control room, she claimed.
On the basis of her complaint, the police had initially registered a case of sexual harassment under Section 354A(1), a bailable offence, of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The charge was later altered to Section 354A after the complainant approached City Police Commissioner G. Sparjan Kumar.
With the perpetrator yet to be nabbed two days after the incident, the police have released a sketch using information provided by the complainant.
