KALPETTA: A 24-year-old pregnant woman has lodged a complaint with the Kerala Women’s Commission, Human Rights Commission, DGP and Wayanad district police chief against Vellamunda police assistant sub-inspector Muhammad Ali.
According to complainant Najiya Nasrin, who is in the sixth month of her pregnancy, the ASI made her and her husband Mohammed Asif, 26, wait for 90 minutes at Vellamunda town last Tuesday in the name of lockdown-related checking. Najiya Nasrin has been consulting the gynaecologist at the Fathima Hospital here.
The woman also reportedly suffered from bouts of vomiting during the long wait. Najiya Nasrin said that though the couple had submitted the affidavit dated June 8 mentioning the purpose of journey, the police officer didn’t pay heed and an FIR was registered against her husband.
“My family is in Padinjarathara and I’m staying with my husband at Atholi in Kozhikode. Last Tuesday, we were en route from Atholi in a car to consult my gynaecologist in Kalpetta. In our affidavit we had mentioned that I’m pregnant and that we were going to hospital. After showing these documents, we were permitted to travel by police officials posted at various check points on Atholi, Kozhikode and Vellamunda stretch.
As we reached Vellamunda at 9am, ASI Muhammad Ali stopped us and told us there is no permission for these kinds of medical check-ups. He used harsh words. Then we waited there for a long time and he asked us to go to Vellamunda police station. When we went there, officers at the station permitted us to continue the journey. We came back and told this to the ASI. But he shouted at us, saying that he hadn’t given us permission yet. We stood there for one-and-a-half hours and I was constantly vomiting,” explained Najiya.
The couple further said that they failed to reach the hospital in time and hence couldn’t meet the doctor. “They didn’t consider the fact that we were going for a medical check-up and that I’m carrying. Even more shockingly, the police had registered a case (FIR no: 161/21) against my husband, citing rash driving and non-submission of affidavit as reasons. They didn’t mentioned about me in the complaint and all their allegations are made up,” Najiya added.
Meanwhile, ASI Muhammad Ali denied the allegations and said that the couple didn’t show an affidavit or possess the police e-pass to travel from Kozhikode to Wayanad district. “They just showed a receipt of Shanthi Clinic, Padinjarathara,” the ASI maintained. However, Wayanad district police chief Arvind Sukumar on Saturday said that he directed Mananthavady DySP A P Chandran to probe the matter. “Usually, the police allow people to travel during the lockdown, if it were a hospital case. But here the woman said she was stopped by police. So, we are trying to get details on what really happened and why,” said SP Arvind Sukumar.