Police register case against miscreants after 41 days

Ludhiana, August 18, 2013: A female Bsc Part II student was allegedly harassed and teased by the miscreants who were drinking alcohol when she was watering the plants at her home in Chand Colony, Rishi Nagar at 7 in the evening of 9th July 2013. When the family objected they not only hurled filthy abuses but also beat the parents of the girl in her house. The girl’s family filed a complaint in the PAU police station at 9.30pm. The family was called by the police on 10th July. But instead of registering case against the culprits they put her mother and father in the lockup and forced them to sign an agreement with the culprits. When they objected to this the police threatened the father of his losing the job.

When the people of the area approached the SHO he came to visit the site on 16th July. But he did not take any action. On further follow up he registered case on 19th July against the culprits but no where he mentioned the incident of her harassment and beating of the family in the girl’s house.  The case was registered in her mother’s name and not in the name of the victim. This caused lot of resentment among the people who met the ACP Gurpreet Purewal on July 30. But it is only today that the case has been registered U/S 354 IPC.

Reacting to this Gurcharan Kochar – President Punjab Istri Sabha, Ludhiana, Jit Kumari, Dr Narjit Kaur – Convener Working Women Forum, Tajinder Kaur, Kulwant Kaur, Randhir Singh – Secretary Teja Singh Swatantra Mohalla Sudhar Committee, Gurnam Sidhu – Social Activist questioned the security of women in Ludhiana where it takes 41 days to get a genuine case registered. The victim said that she is shattered and has lost confidence on the police who is supposed to protect the women. When her mother was put behind the lockup there was no lady police around. She expects immediate arrest of the culprits. The action taken so far is incomplete, she said, adding, “I have strong objection to that I was called to the police station to give statement even though my father had appealed to the SHO to record my statement in my house”.