Woman ends life at police hqs alleging rape by cops

who held husband for theft, woman ends life at police hqs

Tue, Jun 10 02:49 AM

After two months of struggle for justice, a 25-year-old woman who was allegedly raped by two policemen committed suicide at the Haryana police headquarters in Panchkula today.

Sarita, 25, came from Rohtak with her daughters, five-year-old Muskan and three-year-old Heena, submitted a written complaint to the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) V B Singh and committed suicide in his office.

She was allegedly raped by head constable Balraj Singh and constable Silk Ram of Rohtak crime branch on April 10. She had complained that the police refused to register a case and harassed her instead.

"It was around 12.10 pm that Sarita came to the Police headquarters along with her two daughters. She was the third one in the queue to meet me in my office. The moment her turn came, she gave a written application alleging that she was raped by head constable Balraj Singh and constable Silk Ram on April 10. Both the police officials are from the Rohtak crime branch staff and the police department, instead of taking any action against the two, was trying to protect them," said Singh. He said that she also told him that she had consumed some poisonous substance minutes before coming to the room.

"I immediately asked my staff to rush her to the General Hospital, Sector 6, from where she was referred to the PGI (Chandigarh's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research) where she breathed her last," said Singh.

He said Sarita had also come to the office on May 29 along with her husband and other relatives. "It was on the basis of her complaint on May 29 that an FIR was registered by the Rohtak police against the two police officials on May 31."

A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Sarita's husband Subhash Kumar was arrested by the Rohtak crime branch in a case of motorcycle theft. Sarita alleged that when her husband was in police custody, she was called by the Head Constable Singh and Constable Ram who raped her. "Though she met the SP, Rohtak, and other senior officials, no action was taken against the accused," said the officer.

When contacted, SP, Rohtak, Hanif Quraishi said: "The two police officials involved in the case have been put under suspension and a three-member Special Investigation Team headed by DSP (Headquarters) Manbir Sheoran, has been formed to investigate into the matter."