The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered to constitute a three-member special investigation team (SIT), involving women officials which will be led by the ADCP of Punjab Police Gurpreet Kaur Deo to probe into the allegations levelled by a 38-year-old, claiming that she was raped by a policeman of the CIA (Crime Investigation Agency) Bathinda. She has also alleged that her son was falsely implicated by the policeman in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act case
A bench of Justice Arun Monga pulled up the Bathinda police administration for forming an all-men’s team to enquire charges of rape and extortion against fellow colleague.
The bench while hearing, victim’s petition through her attorney Advocate Gurpreet Singh Bhasin contested that her 20-year-old son, who was suffering from Covid-19 at his home, was picked by the CIA police officers on March 6 at 10 am. The woman claimed that her son was falsely arrested after she refused to surrender to the sexual favours that the CIA policeman had demanded from her.
A fake FIR was lodged against her son under the NDPS Act by setting up the crime against him. Later, the woman under pressure to get her son released, the woman said that she agreed to the demands made by the CIA staff.
Justice Monga has directed Prabhjot Kaur, the deputy superintendent of police, Budhlada, Mansa, to probe two cases of rape and extortion by cops to clear the woman’s son in an NDPS case. She will report to Muktsar SSP D Sudarvizhi, while Deo will head the investigation, the court ordered on Tuesday.
The accused assistant sub-inspector (ASI), Gurvinder Singh, was caught on camera while allegedly raping a widow at her house on May 11 under the Nathana police station area. After the matter was reported to the police, Singh was arrested and was dismissed from the Punjab Police service on May 12.
To prove her charges, the victim has also provided a pen drive in the HC which contains the recorded conversations between her and the accused ASI (CIA staff Bathinda) as well as certain live video clippings.
Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) BS Virk created a three-member SIT under SP (headquarters) SP Singh. After dismissing the ASI, Virk said that the SIT will look into charges that the woman’s son was implicated, and money was demanded.
Alleging poor investigation, the petitioner approached the court on May 18, demanding a probe against the other seven members of the CIA-1, who were also involved in planting the contraband at her home. She has also said that the CIA team extorted ₹1.6 lakh on two occasions after her son’s arrest. But the Bhatinda police didn’t record the statements on these charges and ignored collecting evidence relating to these allegations, she stated in her plea.
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The court noted that Punjab Police had not worked by the law. It said: “It is rather intriguing, given the nature of the sensitive investigation, that no lady police official has been involved in the SIT, which is even otherwise the requirement of law in cases of this kind. To say the least, it is highly deplorable to see the insensitiveness with which the district police officials have acted, in constituting the SIT that had all-male members.”
Justice Monga further ordered the DGP Punjab Police to form a new SIT, which shall now be headed by Gurpreet Deo, ADGP, in her position as chairperson along with two other members D Sudarvizhi, SSP, Sri Mukatsar Sahib and Prabhjot Kaur, DSP, Budhlada, Mansa. It further said that Bathinda chief judicial magistrate (CJM) to get the forensic science laboratory report regarding the audio and video clips of the petitioner from her cell phone, which shall be treated as case property.