Action likely against ‘victim’ for misguiding police

LUCKNOW: Police are likely to take stern action against the 45-year-old woman who had alleged being attacked with acid at a working women’s hostel here in Aliganj on July 1. Subsequent investigation had cast doubt over her claims, and forensic experts on Saturday formally rejected her assertion that acid had been used in the incident.

Police officials said they were seeking legal opinion to act against the woman. “False allegations to frame the innocent will not be tolerated,” said senior superintendent of police (SSP), Lucknow, Deepak Kumar. The SSP said the probe and forensic experts’ opinion confirmed her allegations were fake. “Circle Officer of Aliganj, Vivek Tripathi, is supervising the probe. We may charge the woman for causing panic and misleading the police,” he said.

Forensic experts said the chemical that had caused minor injuries (first degree burns) was not acid. “The report also confirmed that the chemical was not thrown on her, but applied gently on the face and neck.”

The SSP further said the report mentioned that no traces of the chemical were found on her clothes, which was impossible if anybody had attacked her. “Besides, the probe also confirmed that no outsider had entered the hostel premises around the time she claimed she was attacked.”

The police recorded statements of multiple witnesses, including hostel security guard Rajesh, police gunner Sandeep Kumar (deployed for the woman’s security), woman constable Preeti (who stays in the same hostel and was barely a few metres from the spot where the alleged crime took place), and other hostel residents.

“All their statements confirm that no such incident took place, and the woman is scripting a false story,” he added.

To recall, the woman had initially alleged that brothers, Bhondu and Guddu Singh, who were also her neighbours in Rae Bareli, had attacked her. Her husband, however, lodged an FIR against unidentified people after the brothers’ involvement was ruled out during initial probe. The Singhs were found at their home in Unchahar, Rae Bareli (about 100km from Lucknow) around the time of the incident.

PREVIOUS FALSE CHARGES

The investigators are also considering the previous false allegations levelled by the woman. She had accused the Singh brothers and their family of carrying out eight attacks on her. These include a 2009 gang rape allegation, a knife attack, and multiple acid attacks. The police have filed final reports in three cases, and are likely to file the final report in another case.

It may be recalled that the woman’s allegations had caused a stir on March 23, this year. She had claimed that Bhondu and Guddu Singh had forced her to drink acid while she was travelling from Rae Bareli to Lucknow in a train. An FIR was also lodged with the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Charbagh, and the accused were taken in custody. Later, GRP inspector Sushil Kumar Singh had said, “We found the allegation to be false, and the brothers were released on the basis of the police report under CrPC section 169 (for not having any evidence against accused).”