Women 'molested', action sought against ASI

By Sarabjit Pandher

LUDHIANA, AUG 27. A police officer allegedly molested two young women and threatened to rape and parade them naked in a Punjab village, in case their father failed to withdraw a criminal petition filed against a legislator of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

The August 16 incident has been brought to light by a Human Rights organisation, ``Insaaf International'', whose report ``Wolf in police uniform'' was provided to The Hindu by its general secretary, Dr (Ms) Vineeta Gupta.

A two-member Insaaf committee, comprising Dr. Vineeta Gupta and Mr. Ved Prakash Gupta, completed its investigations on Saturday.

The team met the victims -an unmarried girl and a widow- their father, relatives, villagers and other witnesses at Rajiana in Moga district.

According to the report, an assistant sub-inspector, identified as Mr. Gurmail Singh of the Bhagapurana police station, accompanied by a police force, raided the house of Mr. Jarnail Singh and his brother. Policemen entered the compound, scaling the walls, when no male member was present. The ASI abused and threatened the women. He targeted the two daughters of Mr. Jarnail Singh for his indecent behaviour.

It was their screams which prevented the ASI from abducting the two women, the report alleged. He told the younger girl that he would finish her ``story'' that day itself.

He then threatened the two women that if their father did not withdraw the case against the SAD legislator, who also belongs to the same village, they would be paraded naked next time.

On hearing the screams, some neighbours and passerby collected on the street, while policemen blocked it on either side and none was allowed to come near the place of the incident.

At this moment, some of the constables objected to the brutal behaviour, forcing the ASI to withdraw, but not before he threatened to come back again.

Dr. Gupta told The Hinduthat some of the villagers were so terrified of police repression that they refused to talk, while many others on condition of anonymity confirmed the incident.

According to Mr. Jarnail Singh, who has never visited his family for the past two months and is in hiding, there is a long history of litigation between him and Mr. Sadhu Singh, legislator. Talking on the phone, Mr. Jarnail Singh said he, his wife and their two daughters were scheduled to depose against the legislator before a court in a criminal case.

In January 1991, in a fight over possession of a piece of land belonging to Mr. Jarnail Singh's uncle, Mr. Jarnail Singh, his wife and two daughters were injured.

Mr. Jarnail Singh alleged that prior to the August 16, 2000 incident, he and his two brothers had been picked up and tortured many times by the local police to pressure him to withdraw his case against the MLA.

During one such illegal detention, Mr. Jarnail Singh was taken away from the premises of the Baghapurana police station on June 2, by a warrant officer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

As he resisted all attempts to cow him down, his two daughters were targeted, Mr. Jarnail Singh said in a choked voice.

The attempts made by this correspondent to contact the Moga district SSP and the MLA proved futile. Meanwhile, when the Insaaf International team met him at his residence at Rajiana, Mr. Sadhu Singh denied that there was any personal dispute or litigation with Mr. Jarnail Singh. He pleaded ignorance of the police raid and the atrocities perpetrated on the two girls.

The Insaaf report points out that on a question raised in the Assembly about the criminal records of MLAs, Mr. Sadhu Singh's name figured at the top. When the Insaaf team confronted him with this account, the legislator attributed it to political reasons.

He said he had recently met the Chief Minister on whose orders the Home Secretary wrote to the SSP of Moga district recommending the quashing of a long-standing criminal case against him.

The SHO of the Bhagapurana station also denied any knowledge of the police raid and the molestation. He pleaded that he could inform Insaaf only after going through the record, which, he said, was not in the police station at that time.

The SSP also denied any knowledge of this incident. He gave the assurance that full justice would be done to the victims as soon as he got a complaint. He, however, told Insaaf that the MLA was a good person.

In its report, the Insaaf International has demanded the immediate dismissal of Mr. Gurmail Singh and registration of a criminal case.

It has sought a time-bound investigation and punishment to the police officials responsible for the atrocities on the two women, who should be provided an administrative assurance against any future harassment.

The Insaaf International has also demanded that the Vidhan Sabha probe the role of the legislator in the incident.

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