HC pulls up Haryana Police for callous approach to rape case

As demanded by the court on January 17,the state filed an affidavit on Monday in response to the suo motu cognisance taken by the High Court on a letter written by the three women. They had accused certain Haryana Police officers of gangrape.

The court had given the Ambala SP seven days to submit his report. But rather than responding to the allegations,the affidavit only reported the allegations levelled against the women.

Peeved over the wasted seven days in filing the evasive affidavit,the bench remarked that of the 13-page affidavit,12 pages were devoted to the accusations pending against the women. According to the police,the three are accused in a robbery case and weapons were recovered from their possession.

The bench remarked that a trial is already pending in a lower court against the three and that nothing new was submitted by the police. It also took the law officer appearing on behalf of the Haryana government to task,as the submissions made by him did not match the contents of the affidavit. The women have levelled serious allegations of gangrape and third degree torture of the three and a six-year-old girl and demanded severe punishment against the police officers concerned.

According to the complaint,the three women were selling balloons near the railway station last month when some police officers picked them up and took them to the police station. They were allegedly given third degree torture and gangraped for over two weeks.

According to the complaint,one of the victims has become pregnant. The Ambala police officers,it has been alleged,foisted a false robbery case on the three and produced them before a local court.