Setback for P’kula police

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 14

In a major setback to the Panchkula police in its bid to nail former SHO of Mansa Devi Complex (MDC) police station Ravi Kant and Home Guards volunteer Jashan Pal for extortion and molestation, its application for recording the second statement of the victim has been turned down by the local court.

Sources said the court had told the police that the statement once recorded by the victim before the magistrate under section 164 of the CrPC could not be changed now.

The development is being considered a big setback for the Panchkula police who have been facing flak ever since the victim’s statement was recorded, as it was completely contrary to what is seen in the CCTV footage provided by the complainant in the case.

A senior officer of the Panchkula police, however, said since the victim had alleged in her statement before IG Bharti Arora that she was pressured to give the statement in favour of the accused cop and Home Guards volunteer, they would use that statement against the accused at the time of evidence.

Meanwhile, the police have so far failed to nab the accused SHO who has been absconding since the DGP Manoj Yadava assigned the probe to Arora.

“We have been raiding his possible hideouts and efforts were on for his arrest,” said police sources.

Meanwhile, the victim, according to the sources, has revealed in her statements made before the police that the SHO Ravi Kant and Home Guards volunteer Jashan Pal threatened her to retract the allegations or else they would mar her marital life and would also defame her in society.

She is also believed to have told the police that she was being pressured by Jashan Pal to provide sexual favour to the SHO or else her extortion money would be increased from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 20,000.

The National Commission for Women has already taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij has also announced that the guilty policemen won’t be spared.

The matter had come to light when the owner of a salon located in the MDC of Panchkula sent a complaint to DGP Manoj Yadava. The complaint was accompanied by footage of a CCTV camera installed in the salon.

The complaint alleged that the SHO was extorting money from the salon through his agent Home Guard volunteer Jashan Pal. The video showed Jashan Pal molesting the woman manager of the saloon and accepting Rs 10,000 as extortion money allegedly on behalf of the SHO.

The police had immediately suspended the SHO and arrested Jashan Pal after registering an FIR against the two.

However, when the police took the victim to the magistrate for recording her statement under section 164 of the CrPC on December 12, she described Jashan Pal as a family friend, denied molestation and claimed that the money was paid to him for some work.