Minor alleges gangrape by cop in Kanpur; viral video on police inaction sparks outrage

On Wednesday, co-accused Shiv Baran was arrested. The charges of abduction and the gangrape were added in the FIR, and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were also included. (Express Photo)

A 14-year-old girl in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped by a police sub-inspector (SI) and his associate earlier this week. The incident sparked outrage in the state after a video went viral in which the minor accused the police of inaction, leading to the suspension of two officers and the arrest of one of the accused, while the SI remains absconding.

According to the police, the incident occurred on Monday night. In her statement, the minor said that she stepped out of her house to relieve herself and was walking towards the railway tracks nearby when an SUV stopped beside her. She said that before she could react, she was dragged inside the vehicle, where two men were seated. A man wearing a police uniform was driving the vehicle, she stated in the complaint.

The girl alleged that the man in the rear seat started molesting her as the vehicle was driven to a secluded area near the railway tracks. Even as she raised an alarm, she alleged, the two men started sexually assaulting her inside the vehicle. She was allegedly gangraped by the two, who detained her inside the SUV for more than half-an-hour.

The minor was later taken back to the place from where she was abducted and thrown out of the vehicle, she alleged. She walked home and narrated the ordeal to her brother and family members, she stated in the complaint.

According to the minor and her brother, they immediately went to the local police outpost and informed the police, but they were allegedly directed to go to the police station. They submitted their complaint at the police station, but were allegedly asked to return the next morning.

The minor and her brother alleged that on Tuesday, they realised that the First Information Report (FIR) did not mention the man in a police uniform; the charges of kidnapping and gangrape were also missing. When they contacted the station house officer (SHO) and raised their concern, he allegedly misbehaved with them, using objectionable language aimed at the minor’s character. He shouted that the charges would be added if the allegations were found to be true in the investigation, her brother alleged.

The siblings further claimed to have tried meeting senior officials, but failed. They alleged that it was only after they raised the matter in a video, posted it on a social media platform, and it went viral that the police took cognisance.

Action was also taken against the SHO of the police station concerned, after it was reportedly revealed that he had ignored the victim’s allegations and did not make any initiative to conduct a preliminary inquiry, giving enough time to the main accused, the SI, to leave the district.

The SI, who was posted at another police station on Monday, was expected to join the next day, Shikhar, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Panki Circle, told The Indian Express. “Co-accused Shiv Baran claimed to be a journalist and showed an ID of a TV channel. This would be verified during the investigation. He has been arrested,” ACP Shikhar added. He further said that the girl’s medical examination had been conducted, and the report was being examined. The findings cannot be shared, he added.