Sexual assaults on women by cops irk Telangana police female personnel

HYDERABAD: The series of sexual assaults on women involving police personnel reported in different parts of the State, including the case of Inspector K Nageshwar Rao who is now the main accused in a rape case, has had a jarring effect on women force in Telangana police.

After these incidents, there was an increasing demand among the women police to sensitise their male counterparts from indulging in such acts. In the past too, several such incidents took place, but no cases were registered against the erring officials and they were just transferred from their posts.

A senior women official felt that at a time when women, in large numbers, are coming forward to join the police department, the presence of such officers who have a tendency to commit ‘immoral’ acts, will affect the morale of aspirants and also the confidence the people. “Of late the department has been sensitising personnel on their approach towards people, particularly women and elderly. It’s high time that they should be sensitised on such issues also,” the official added.

Several CPs and SPs have already been conducting such sensitisation programmes for their personnel, but they feel it has to be driven more deeply.“The department exhibits zero tolerance towards such acts of moral turpitude and strict action will be initiated against the personnel involved in such activities. However, there are some stray incidents. Even when there are complaints on such grounds, immediate action is taken after a thorough inquiry,”  another senior police official posted in the tri-city commissionerates said.

In the past too, incidents of police personnel trapping wives of accused persons and victims in domestic violence cases were reported. An incident of a Station House Officer (SHO) misbehaving with a woman constable in his cabin in the police station was also reported. In all these cases, they were merely transferred out but stringent action was not taken.

Nageshwar Rao undergoes potency test

The potency test and DNA profiling of now-suspended cop K Nageshwar Rao was conducted on Tuesday, as a part of his custodial interrogation. Cops are likely to conduct the crime scene reconstruction on Wednesday. It was learnt that Nageshwar Rao who had initially confessed to the offence, denied the charges against him during the custodial interrogation.

However, he was confronted with the evidence at hand and was questioned with evidence support, due to which he could not further deny his involvement in the offence. Though a major portion of the evidence has already been collected, police say, they are still trying to connect some missing links in the case, which they hope, can be completed by the end of interrogation