Delhi gangrape: Police call victim's friend 'liar'

Delhi Police on Saturday came under attack for alleged squabbling over jurisdiction and delayed response to the gangrape victim's call for help on the fateful night last month.

The charges were dismissed by the police which said PCR vans took the 23-year-old girl and her male friend to hospital within 34 minutes of receiving the call.

Police also rejected the charge that its personnel in the PCR vans had quarelled over jurisdiction as the two victims lay in a state of undress and bleeding crying for help. The charge was made by the male friend in an interview to Zee News aired last night.

The police was also the butt of criticism for its decision to file a case against Zee News for airing the interview on the ground that it could lead to disclosure of her identity, a violation of law.

Sudhir Chaudhary, Zee News Editor, appeared before police this evening after he was asked to by investigators.

BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad slammed the police for causing undue delay in taking the victim and her friend to hospital.

Former IPS officer and activist Kiran Bedi, who served with the Delhi Police for decades, said the policemen who arrived on the spot could have registered an FIR on their own as no law prescribes that the document can be registered only under a particular police station.

National Commission for Women chairperson Mamta Sharma sought "strict action" against the policemen and demanded that an FIR be lodged against the personnel on duty for the act.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj accused police of muzzling the voice of people by lodging a case against the channel. "People have a right to know the truth," she tweeted.

Addressing a press conference, Joint Commissioner of Police (South-West) Vivek Gogia dismissed allegations that police response was tardy and the PCR vans had wasted time in taking them to a hospital by arguing over jurisdiction of the case.

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