JAMMU: Rape of a newly-wed in Khour Police Station has exposed the horrendous face of Jammu and Kashmir Police, which does not only indulge in corrupt practices but getting opportunity its unscrupulous personnel subject people to indignity, humiliation and even sexual exploitation.
Beans of gruesome sequence of events, leading to rape and extortion of money from the girl, have been spilled by none other than the police chief himself.
Believe Director General Police K Rajendra, the Khour girl was not only subjected to prolonged sexual exploitation by SHO Khour with the assistance of his staff, especially a lady SPO but her father and boy-friend were made to pay hugely by some cops of two police stations-Palanwalla Police Post and the Khour Police Station.
According to the tale spilled by the DGP, the victim was subjected to rape by the SHO after her custody was given to Khour Police Station by the Pallanwalla Police Post. Soon after the girl was traced, after her father Balwan Singh lodged a missing complaint about her abduction with Pallanwalla Police Post, a hunt was launched and she was recovered from Katra along with her boyfriend, whom she had married in a court.
Upon her recovery, Constable Pawan Kumar of Pallanwallah PP approached the desperate father and demanded Rs 1 lakh in lieu of Supardghi of the recovered girl. He expressed his inability to manage such a ‘huge’ amount and ultimately the matter was settled for Rs 25,000. But instead of giving possession of the girl to her family, the Pallanwalla PP handed her over to its superintending Police Station Khour. This was beginning of the trauma for the girl. She was subjected to rape by the SHO, who also approached her boyfriend and worked out a deal to give her possession to him in lieu of Rs 50,000. He gave the money and took his wife along.
Expressing his disgust and dismay over the sequence of events in this case, the DGP has asked IGP Jammu Danesh Rana to furnish a detailed report after enquiring into the matter.
In a communiqué, the DGP has asked the IGP Jammu to fix responsibility of the officers for their failure in exercising supervision over the police functioning in general and in this case in particular.
The DGP’s communiqué to the IGP states, “This all depicts a very sorry state of affairs ranging from extorting money both from the complainant as well as from the accused with the assurances of favours and subsequent sexual exploitation of the recovered girl in police station.”
The DGP’s letter further reads, “The supervisory officers, district special branch men and other intelligence generating system of district SP and other supervisory officers failed to detect these misdeeds but the media managed to pick up the details and published the same which finally evoked police action which is really something need to look into seriously so as to avoid such unfortunate recurrences.”
The communiqué details the sequence of events in the particular case, according to which the missing complaint of the girl was reportedly lodged by her father Balwan Singh on October 28, 2015 and subsequently they came to know that she was abducted by one, Vicky Kumar and Police was informed accordingly.
The alleged accused Vicky Kumar and the abducted girl were reportedly apprehended by constable Pawan Kumar of Police Post Pallanwalla on October, 29, 2015.
After her recovery, Constable Pawan Kumar demanded Rs 1 lakh from the father on the pretext that his daughter would be handed over to him. The deal was reportedly struck at Rs 25,000 which was paid to IC/PP Pallanwala PSI Vishal Dogra.
Thereafter, on the same day, the girl and the accused were handed over to Police Station Khour and Vicky Kumar was lodged in lock-up while the girl was kept in a separate room of the Police Station Khour under the supervision of lady SPO Mamta Rani. SHO reportedly used lady SPO to exploit the girl for sexual favours in lieu of facilitating her marriage with Vicky Kumar.
The DGP’s letter further says, “After sexual exploitation for two days, a complaint was reportedly obtained from father of the girl on 30th October 2015 on which FIR 73/15 under Section 366 CrPC was registered against Vicky Kumar. SHO and MHC of Police Station Khour reportedly assured Vicky Kumar of facilitating his marriage with her and closure of the case as ‘Not Admitted’ if he pays Rs. 50,000. On this assurance, the accused reportedly arranged the amount and paid to MHC PS Khour.
After these deals, the girl was produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class and after recording her statement under section 164 CrPC the girl was handed over to Vicky Kumar on Supardnama and later the case was closed as ‘Not Admitted’ on 29th November 2015.
However, the SHO continued to harass the girl even after handing her over to Vicky Kumar. The girl is reported to have got frustrated over repeated rape by the SHO, after she used to be summoned to Police Station on one pretext or the other. Meanwhile, the alert media got inkling of sordid tale of the victim girl and brutality of police, which forced police to act. Accordingly a case was registered and accused SHO SI Mohd Iqbal arrested.
The DGP, in his communiqué, has sought a detailed report from the IGP Jammu by May 31, 2016.
‘SHO slapped me, raped me in his quarter’
JAMMU: Newly-married rape survivor from Khour area of Akhnoor on Thursday threatened to hang herself if the suspended police officer Sub Inspector Mohd Iqbal, who she claimed raped her inside his staff quarter in Khour, was left scot free and not handed over capital punishment by the court of law.
Narrating her ordeal before media persons, the rape victim, covered from head to toe, weeping inconsolably, gave a graphic account of how she was coerced by the SPO Mamta Kumari to visit official residence of SHO Khour Police Station on October 29, a day after her father had filed a complaint after her court marriage. “After court marriage on October 28, 2015, I along with my husband went to Katra to pay obeisance at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine but back home my father had lodged a complaint with the local police station and we returned home”.
“We were called in the Pallanwala Police Post by Chowki officer Vishal Dogra on October 29. The same day he took us to Khour Police Station for interrogation” she said adding that she along with her husband were detained in the Khour Police Station and lodged separately.
“In the evening SPO Mamta Kumari asked me to accompany her to the official residence of SHO Mohd Iqbal Chagatta.When I requested her I am too tired to visit him late in the evening as I was exhausted she insisted he is calling me to tutor me how to present myself before the court of law the next morning”, the victim said.
She claimed, “As I didn’t agree to visit him I stayed back but next day Mamta Kumari came to me and again directed me to visit SHO’s quarter”.
She said: “When I reached there Mamta Kumari pushed me inside SHO’s room and bolted the door from outside. Inside, the SHO switched off the light and slapped me and told me to cooperate with him if I wanted to see my husband walk free from the jail premises”.
The rape victim alleged: “As I requested the police officer with folded hands and even touched his feet to spare me he boastfully claimed I am even bigger than the Judge. If you will not cooperate with me I will make sure your husband will remain in jail and I will slap serious charges upon him”.
She claimed, ignoring her pleas he allegedly raped her and warned not to make it public else he would make sure that her husband would face life term inside the jail.
The rape victim, weeping constantly throughout the press briefing questioned the senior police officers where victims like her would go if such police officers would harass them and abuse them inside police station. Pleading justice from senior cops and court of law she alleged that the suspended police officer was still lodged in Akhnoor Police Station and receiving VIP treatment while she was suffering the pain.
“If justice is delayed and he is left scot free I would be forced to hang myself”, the victim threatened