CUTTACK: The Cuttack child welfare committee (CWC) has expressed serious concern over gross violation of child rights by investigating officers (IOs) in several cases related to crime against children. The IOs have allegedly attempted to influence rape victims to go for compromise with the accused.
A sub-inspector (SI) of Narasinghpur police station has been placed under suspension for allegedly detaining a minor girl and forcing her to go for pregnancy test inside the police station. The action was initiated against SI Rabindra Nayak after intervention of CWC and an FIR was filed by district Childline coordinator Narayan Shukla.
The 17-year-old girl was abducted on October 7 following which her father had filed an FIR at Narasinghpur police station. The victim was later rescued by police and handed over to CWC. During her counselling, the CWC came to know that the girl was illegally detained in Narasinghpur police station for three days where Nayak had forcefully conducted her pregnancy test in the absence of any lady officer even though the victim had vehemently opposed him. Nayak had also not allowed her parents to meet her in the police station.
Acting on the direction of CWC, Shukla filed the FIR on December 12 following which Cuttack SP (Rural) Jugal Kishore Banoth conducted a probe and suspended him on Saturday. Later, the local police nabbed the prime accused, who is also a minor, along with four others including husband of Saradhapur sarpanch Sushant Kumar Sahoo on Saturday.
In another case, Shukla has also filed a similar FIR at Jagatpur police station alleging violation of child rights by the investigating officer. The FIR alleged that the IO, who took a 17-year-old girl from a shelter home to a hospital for medical examination and recording of statements in court, stopped the police van on the road and asked the victim to get down and talk with parents of the accused who were standing at a place. They allegedly tried to brainwash her. The IO had also insisted the victim not to go for medical test. The girl was rescued on November 28.
“Though more than 15 days have already been passed, no action has been initiated against the IO,” said CWC chairperson Mandakini Jema and added that similar kind of violations have also been reported from Mahanga.“We have written a letter to Cuttack DCP, Cuttack (Rural) SP and district child protection officer in this regard seeking their intervention to do away with such illegal practice,” she added.
Recent cases
A 17-year-old girl was illegally detained in Narasinghpur police station for three days where IO forcefully conducted her pregnancy test IO of Jagatpur police station allegedly attempted to influence a rape victim to go for compromise with the accused Similar kind of violations have been reported from Mahanga.