Bathinda cops dither on rape complaint against constable

We will register a case within seven days if the man is found guilty in the inquiry report. The matter was referred for detailed investigation as the incident was of last winter. NAVIN SINGLA, Bathinda SSP

Over a month after SSP Navin Singla marked an inquiry into a rape complaint against a constable to the Bathinda Women Cell police station, SHO Sukhbir Kaur is yet to submit her report. The victim and her husband, of Buccho Mandi, had approached the SSP after cops at the local police station did not act on their complaint against the accused, constable Sandeep Singh.

At the time, the accused was posted in the staff of Rampura Phul DSP. The complainant had also accused the constable of making a video of the crime that he allegedly committed at a Bathinda hotel after lacing her soft drink with sedatives.

The first complaint at the police station was made on March 21, 2018. The cop is also accused of trespassing into the woman’s house, a day later and threatening her and her mother-in-law to withdraw the complaint on March 23.

The complainant’s husband told HT that his wife was traumatised and went into depression after the incident and they approached the police only after she opened up about the crime and the threats posed by Sandeep Singh of making the video viral.

Bathinda women cell SHO Sukhbir Kaur acknowledged the complaint and said, “I will submit my report tomorrow itself. The matter needed a thorough investigation. We needed to trace phone calls and locations for the crime.” She feigned ignorance of the present posting of the accused constable, who was shifted out of Rampura Phul DSP’s staff, after the inquiry began.

Bathinda SSP Navin Singla said, “We will register a case within seven days if the man is found guilty in the inquiry report. The matter was referred for detailed investigation as the incident was pretty old, of last winter.”