This story is from March 22, 2021

Uttar Pradesh: SI arrested for harassing Basti woman, torturing kin

Uttar Pradesh: SI arrested for harassing Basti woman, torturing kin
Representative image.
LUCKNOW: The police sub-inspector accused of harassing a woman in Basti was arrested on Monday while 12 others, including three inspectors and three sub-inspectors, were booked for alleged harassment and assault on the complainant and her family.
A deputy SP rank officer, Girish Singh, who was posted as the circle officer (CO) in Basti at the time of the incident, has also been suspended.
Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Ravindra Singh and other police officers named in the FIR have been transferred from the district.
The action came after the woman lodged a complaint with the State Women’s Commission and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Acting on the complaint, the government asked ADG, Gorakhpur Zone, Akhil Kumar, to conduct a probe into the allegations and ordered the suspension of S-I Deepak Kumar Singh and SHO Kotwali, Ram Pal Yadav, on Saturday.
Basti SP Hemraj Meena was also transferred and attached to the DGP office and was replaced by SP (intelligence headquarters) Ashish Srivastava.
Talking to TOI, the ADG said the probe had been transferred to Sant Kabir Nagar to check bias in investigation process.
“DSP Girish Singh who is currently posted in Kanpur has been suspended while Basti ASP Ravindra Singh has been transferred. The main accused has been arrested. To ensure fair probe, we have transferred all the accused policemen to other districts. Revenue officials named in FIR may also be transferred by the divisional commissioner as we have made a request in this regard,” he said.

Police said the properties amassed by the sub-inspector and the SHO would also be under scanner during the probe against them.
On Saturday night, an FIR was lodged at Basti Kotwali police station on charges of sexual harassment, stalking, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement, assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, among others.
The accused included sub-inspectors Deepak Singh, Rajan Singh, Abhishek Singh, Mahila police station SHO Sheela Yadav, Kotwali SHO Rampal Yadav, constables Sanjay Kumar, Deeksha Yadav, Neelam Singh, Alok Kumar, Pawan Kumar Kushwaha, Awadhesh Verma, lekhpal Shalini Singh, revenue clerk Satish and 2-3 unidentified policemen.
DM, Basti, Saumya Agarwal said strict action would be taken against the accused and departmental inquiry would be initiated against the S-I and the SHO.
'Family tortured & blackmailed, bro burnt with cigarette butts’
In her FIR lodged on Saturday, the woman alleged that sub-inspector Deepak Singh took her phone number on March 31 last year after which he started sending objectionable texts and messages to her. On April 2, the accused called her and when she objected to his advances, the S-I threatened to lodge fake FIRs against her and her family.
She claimed that on June 13 last year, revenue officials were illegally taking out a road through her land and when her brother tried to make a video of their action, they tried to delete the video.
“My brother, however, managed to send the video to us from another mobile phone. S-I Singh tried to take our phones to delete the video but when he failed, he called a police team which rounded up my family at Basti Kotwali police station. My family members were beaten up and tortured at women’s police station,” she said.
The survivor said two constables entered her house on August 30 and clicked photos of her sister while she was taking a bath. “They use the photographs to blackmail us to withdraw complaints against Deepak Singh and others,” she said.
“In November, Singh also summoned my brother to the police station and burnt him with cigarette butts,” she alleged.
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About the Author
Pathikrit Chakraborty

Highly responsive to unfolding developments. Reports on crime, and terrorism in UP and also probes by National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Uttar Pradesh.

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