Retracted statement under pressure, says salon manager

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 13

In a new twist to the alleged extortion from a salon by MDC police station SHO Ravi Kant and molestation of its woman manager by SHO’s agent and Home Guards volunteer Jashan Pal, the victim today said she retracted her statement under pressure.

Sources said the victim told this to Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Bharti Arora who begun probe into the fairness of investigations by the Panchkula police in the case today after being assigned the task by DGP Manoj Yadava.

Sources said the woman had alleged that her husband pressured her to retract the allegations.

“The inquiry is on. We will get her statement recorded again. She was to record her statement today. Though we were waiting for her, she did not turn up. We will do it tomorrow now,” said Bharti Arora, when contacted by The Tribune.

The victim’s statement today has confirmed that her earlier statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) given before the magistrate whereby she gave a clean chit to the police and the Home Guards volunteer was in fact procured under pressure.

The police had suspended Ravi Kant and arrested Jashan Pal after registering a criminal case against then after a complaint accompanied by a video was received by the DGP.

The complaint alleged that the SHO was extorting money from a salon located in the Mansa Devi Complex (MDC), Panchkula, through his agent Home Guards volunteer Jashan Pal.

The video showed Jashan Pal molesting the woman manager of the salon while accepting Rs 10,000 as extortion money allegedly on behalf of the SHO. Ironically, the district administration had felicitated SHO Ravi Kant for his exemplary services during the Independence Day function this year.

However, when the police took the victim to the Magistrate for recording her statement under Section 164 of the CrPC, she had described Jashan Pal as a family friend, denied molestation and claimed that the money was paid to him for some work.

This has created a public outcry against the police as the video clearly showed the Home Guards volunteer molesting the woman against her will and also receiving currency notes from her.

After Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij’s assurance in a press briefing that the truth will be brought out, the DGP had entrusted a probe into the fairness of the police investigation to IG (Crime Against Women) Bharti Arora yesterday.