Top cop marks probe to ADCP into 'sexual harassment' case

Tribune News Service

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Ludhiana, January 17

After cops at the Salem Tabri police station registered an FIR against a man on the charges of outraging the modesty of a woman and criminal intimidation, Commissioner of Police (CP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu has marked a probe to the ADCP-1 and asked her to submit report.

Suspect was present at office: CCTV footage

The FIR states that the suspect was at the Jalandhar bypass during the incident while the CCTV footage shows that he was present at his office. As per the FIR, the suspect, Amit Sharma, had assaulted the woman in his car at 6.30 pm on January 7 while Amit’s family presented a CCTV camera footage which belied the claims of the police. As per the footage, Amit was present at his office near the bus stand at 6.28 pm on January 7 and at 6.54 pm, he reached his house on Tibba Road.

Notably on January 8, the police had registered a case under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC against Amit Sharma, a resident of the Tibba Road area. A case was registered after a woman, a city resident, had lodged a police complaint that on January 7 evening, Amit had forcibly made her to sit in his car, assaulted her and also outraged her modesty.

After the registration of case, Shweta Sharma, wife of the suspect, met the Commissioner of Police and demanded an impartial probe into the case. Later, he marked the probe to ADCP-1 Rupinder Kaur Sran. The complainant urged Sidhu to inquire under what circumstances a case was registered quickly within a day after receiving the complaint.

“On January 8, my husband had got a call from ASI Harmesh Lal, who asked him to reach the Salem Tabri police station regarding some complaint by a woman against him. The same day I, along with my family members, visited the police station and the ASI said he would conduct a probe and call both parties for preliminary investigation,” the complainant alleged.

The complainant further said the next day, on January 9, she was shocked to know that an FIR was registered by the police against her husband. “In the FIR, the complainant woman mentioned that on January 7 at 6.30 pm Amit had forced her to sit in his car near the Jalandhar bypass and also assaulted her. However, in reality, my husband had not met that woman on January 7 and the police without verifying facts registered a case in haste. Senior officials should inquire why the police registered a case within a day without recording the statement of Amit or verifying the allegations levelled by the woman”, the complainant alleged.

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