BENGALURU: In an unprecedented incident, a 28-year-old wife of a CAR constable has been given round-the-clock police protection after her neighbour, also a CAR constable, allegedly beat her up, threatened to sexually assault her and “cut her to pieces” following a quarrel over ownership of tender coconuts.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, Vartika Katiyar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Headquarters, City Armed Reserve (CAR) has ordered the deployment of two policemen per shift in two shifts to ensure round-the-clock protection for the victim, 28-year-old Sudharani K P. CAR constable Satish, aged around 32, who is in the dock, is said to be a gunman for a prominent Congress leader in Bengaluru.
The drama unfolded on May 18, when the DCP’s lane orderly, on orders from the officer, cut a few tender coconuts from eight trees and kept them in front of Sudharani’s house just before these were to be transported in a CAR ACP’s jeep.
Two of the trees were close to Satish’s house, and he has been claiming ownership of the tender coconuts from those trees. On that day, he lost his temper on noticing the tender coconuts kept in front of Sudharani’s house with two of these even offered to her two children by the lane orderly and the CAR ACP’s driver.
first abused the DCP’s lane orderly and the ACP’s driver for cutting down the tender coconuts.
But when they told him that they did so on orders from senior officials and left, Satish vent his anger upon Sudharani, using filthy language, and even allegedly beat her up in front of other residents who gathered there on hearing the commotion.
She called her husband, Raju D, who works in the High Court, and informed him about the assault by Satish. She then took her children and approached DCP Katiyar, and complained against Satish. Katiyar immediately summoned Satish toher office.
By then, the ACP, police inspectors and other staff, who were in Katiyar’s office, reportedly started getting phone calls from political circles putting pressure on them to spare Satish. Unverified reports said Satish had called a political leader’s secretary and tried to use influence to get himself out of the situation.
However, Katiyar ensured that all the phones were switch off and conducted an inquiry. When Satish confessed that it was he who got into the fight and beat up Sudharani, Katiyar asked Sudharani to file a complaint against Satish. Katiyar also called the JJ Nagar police inspector and asked him to register a case, apart from ordering police protection for the victim.
However, it has been three days since the incident, but no action has been taken against Satish.
An investigating officer said, “We have been asking Sudharani’s neighbours who witnessed the assault to give statements, but they have not come forward yet.”
On the other hand, Satish is said to be now forcing Sudharani to compromise and take back the complaint. It was the second time that Satish got into a fight with Sudharani, so she does not want to forgive him.