Woman gets raped while filing a complaint inside police station

A woman was allegedly raped by a police constable inside a police station in the Seraikela-Kharsawan district of the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, where she had gone to file a complaint. The state police have confirmed that the accused constable has been arrested. This information was reported by the Indian news outlet NDTV on Sunday.

According to the report, the woman went to the police station on the night of October 29 to lodge a complaint, where she was then raped by a police constable. Five police personnel, including the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Gamharia police station, have been suspended for dereliction of duty in connection with this incident.

In her complaint, the victim stated that she had fled her home on Thursday evening, fearing physical abuse following an argument with her husband. She took shelter at a neighbor's house and contacted the police station using her mobile phone. A police statement noted that, upon receiving the call, a police patrol vehicle rescued her that same night and brought her to the station.

Police personnel on duty provided her with a room within the station to rest. The complaint alleges that while she was in that room, the accused constable, who served as a wireless operator at the station, assaulted and raped her.

Upon learning of the incident, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Seraikela, Manoj Swargiary, directed Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Anubhav Bhardwaj to investigate the matter.

Following the investigation, which confirmed the incident, the police arrested the accused based on the SDPO’s report. He was then remanded to judicial custody by the court.

The SSP suspended the Officer-in-Charge of the Gamharia police station and four other personnel for dereliction of duty, irresponsible conduct, and gross indiscipline. The statement added that the five suspended personnel have been attached to the Police Lines.

The clothing worn by the accused at the time of the incident has been seized by the police as evidence and is being sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Ranchi for examination. Reacting strongly to this tragic incident, the state’s opposition party, the BJP, stated that such occurrences have become frequent in Jharkhand because the police administration no longer fears anyone.

Aditya Sahu, the Jharkhand state BJP president and a Rajya Sabha MP, alleged that police officers secure postings at police stations by paying large bribes to senior officials. Speaking to journalists, he claimed that these officers, under the patronage of top-level government figures, facilitate the theft of sand, iron ore, and coal. As a result, the general public has completely lost faith in the state’s ruling coalition, comprising the JMM, Congress, and RJD.

-    NS