KOLKATA: The officer in charge (OC) of Jadavpur police station (PS), one of the most important police stations in the city, was removed overnight on Monday on charges of sexually harassing a woman civic volunteer of the same PS last week.
The victim has lodged a complaint with the police, prompting Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police (KP) headquarters, to remove OC Amitava Chakraborty from Jadavpur PS, though nothing in connection with the allegations brought against him has been mentioned in his transfer order.
Subrata Sarkar was appointed as the new OC of Jadavpur PS on Monday afternoon.
Charu Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), South Suburban Division (SSD) of Kolkata Police, told TNIE on Tuesday, “Following a complaint lodged with police station, the internal complaint committee as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court has started an inquiry to probe the matter. Legal action will be taken as per the report of the committee.”
The incident has triggered a row in opposition camps and within the police department headed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a time when her Trinamool Congress party is set to face the crucial Assembly election, likely in April, following the deletion of around 66 lakh voters from the final list after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Sources at Lalbazar said, “The ICC has started an inquiry on the basis of the complaint lodged with police against the OC. Necessary action will be taken against the officer once we get the ICC report.”
According to sources, a few days ago the OC took the woman civic police volunteer in his car for night round duty in areas under the jurisdiction of the PS.
He forced her to sit beside him inside the car and then went to a bar cum restaurant in south Kolkata, where he drank and forced her to drink with him.
She did not drink and somehow managed to get out of the bar. After that, the OC, in a drunken state, sexually molested her inside his government allotted car.
Fearing the situation might go out of control, the victim tried to contact several senior policemen of Jadavpur PS seeking help, but no one responded.
Finding no other option, she dialled the KP toll free number 100 seeking help.
The police control room at Lalbazar contacted the DCP soon after receiving the call. With the intervention of the DCP, she was rescued promptly.
The DCP, along with other women police officers, spoke to her to know about the incident. Later, she lodged a complaint with the police station.
The KP administration has launched ‘pink booth’ in around five places in the city for the safety and security of working women ahead of International Women’s Day.
Chakraborty did not respond to telephone calls and WhatsApp messages made by this reporter seeking his reaction.