CHENNAI: The December 24 FIR filed by the Kotturpuram All Women Police Station (AWPS) with details of the rape of the Anna University student along with her personal details landed in the public domain on Thursday morning, inviting widespread censure.
The FIR has complete details of the complaint filed by the survivor and also does not blank out her name, address and phone number, according to sources. A case has been registered against the accused Gnanasekaran (37), a local biryani vendor, under section 63, 64 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deals with rape.
It was unclear if the FIR was downloaded from the Tamil Nadu police’s CCTNS portal. However, later in the day, a message on the website said the FIR had been blocked by a competent authority.
Greater Chennai Police commissioner A Arun said that there was probably a software glitch which enabled the download of the FIR. He promised to take necessary action in this regard.
National Commission of Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar wrote to Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal stating that the leak of the FIR was a violation under Section 72 of the BNS, 2023 and the Supreme Court’s guidelines as enumerated in the Nipun Saxena vs Union of India case.
The body demanded strict action against the police officer responsible for this as it compromised the identity of the victim of sexual assault.
Sources said that the NCW is also likely to send an inspection committee to Chennai to take stock of the case.
The ruling DMK’s ally CPI(M) also issued a statement condemning the release of the FIR and demanded action against those responsible for it.
The opposition BJP’s Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai termed the leaking of the FIR as “intolerable” and alleged that it was done to “malign the victim’s character” and “salvage the state’s collapsed maintenance of law and order”. PMK president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss also condemned the police department for being “irresponsible” and causing further mental agony for the survivor.
In the letter to Jiwal, the NCW also asked the Tamil Nadu police to include section 71 of the BNS which covers punishment for repeat offenders as Gnanasekaran had allegedly been found to be a habitual offender and had committed similar crimes in the past. If convicted, Gnanasekaran would be sentenced to life imprisonment based on this section.