SHO ACCUSED OF MOLESTATION LET OFF WITH MILD WARNING

NEWDELHI: Three years ago, then Defence Colony station house officer (SHO) Kuldeep Singh allegedly sent lewd phone messages to a woman during the course of an investigation. On one occasion, he allegedly dropped by her office and forcibly kissed her.

The woman complained to his higher-ups. An inquiry was conducted, following which Singh was let off with a warning. He now serves as the SHO of Neb Sarai.

A Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Hindustan Times found that although four SHOs were charged with molesting women from 2012 to 2016, only one was booked and is still facing trial.

Of the other three, two SHOs said they were let off after complainants withdrew charges against them while the third was given a clean chit.

The Delhi Police had named just three SHOs in its initial response to the RTI query. It was only when HT filed a fresh application with specific details of Singh’s case that it disclosed his name.

A fifth case that was reported in the media in 2016 did not figure in the RTI response at all.

When contacted, the SHO in question admitted that a woman had lodged a complaint against him before the magistrate, but said that the complaint was later withdrawn.

In its RTI reply, Delhi Police said these cases were closed but refused to part with inquiry reports.

According to the written complaint against Singh to the Delhi Police’s vigilance cell in 2014, a copy of which is in HT’s possession, the former Defence Colony SHO’s overtures were followed by a flurry of SMS apologies for his behaviour. Additional deputy commissioner of police (vigilance cell) NS Minhas stated in his response to HT’s query that a show-cause notice was issued to Singh, following which he was “warned to be more careful in the future”.

A request for the investigation report in this connection was rejected on the grounds that it contained “personal data” as well as “third-party information”.

Singh, for his part, insisted he was cleared of all charges. “The allegation was made against me while I was investigating a case related to education. An inquiry was conducted, but they found nothing,” he said.