Kolkata: Calcutta High Court ordered Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma to initiate departmental proceeding against three top police officers for ‘mishandling’ initial probe of alleged rape of IAS officer’s wife.
Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj of Calcutta High Court also directed passing of the case to deputy commissioner of Women police and has also asked to handover the case diary to the deputy commissioner within three days.
The Justice also observed that the case was assigned to male officer which is against the law. Ordering fresh investigation into the matter, the Justice also observed that the FIR filed against the accused undermined the seriousness of the sexual assault allegation.
The alleged victim in her submission had mentioned that she was raped twice in her residence at gun point and also that the accused was given charges at milder sections for which he got the bail from the lower court the next day. Calcutta High Court had, however, cancelled the bail granted by the lower court.
The victim had mentioned that she was first raped on July 14 at 11:30 pm and again at 6: 30 am on July 15 at her residence. The victim had also mentioned that she had lodged the FIR at Lake police station on July 15, following which she had faced intimidation by the accused's son and wife so that she withdrew her complaint.
According to High Court sources, the court also questioned why the police conducted the medical check-up much later and also slammed police for not scrutinizing the CCTV footage of Lake police station during the time she was heckled despite requests from the petitioner.
Politics over the incident
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sudhangshu Trivedi claimed, “If a civil servant’s wife can be raped at gunpoint how safe women are in West Bengal during TMC rule we all can understand. We have seen Sandeshkhali and now rape of IAS officer’s wife. We welcome the move of Calcutta High Court. The court had also slammed the cops. It is very clear that there is a close nexus between state administration, the cops and the criminals.”
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