PANJM: Against the backdrop of the gruesome rape and murder of a young girl in Telangana, Bailancho Saad, a Goa-based women rights group has highlighted some of the “shocking trends” in the State wherein rape victims are allegedly harassed by the police.
Bailancho Saad has accused the police department of filing false cases against two rape survivors while demanding that heads of State Police Complaints Authority and Goa Human Rights Commission be immediately appointed so as to report these cases for justice.
“In an incident, a mother complained that he minor daughter was raped but soon thereafter, the family of the accused started attacking them to withdraw the case. The help line number did not respond to her till Bailancho Saad intervened. The partisan attitude of the police was so evident, when a 10 year old boy who was recording the verbal abuse against the rape survivor was called to the police station and admonished. The police made sure that the video recording was deleted. Shockingly, the police have registered a chapter case against the rape complainant and she has to go through trial at the Deputy Collector’s office,” activist Sabina Martins, representing the forum said.
She narrated that, another rape survivor who visited the police station to inquire about her case, she was beaten and arrested in a false case. “What was shocking is that the police did not give her medical certificate under RTI which incidentally clearly stated police assault. The police did not register a case for five months despite complaint to DGP. The CD which showed assault by the police and incidents of police violating her dignity and human rights were not given to the survivor and she had to go to High Court to quash the false case. Police Officers who are supposed to assist the complainant turned a blind eye,” Martins added.
A senior police officer, when contacted denied receiving any such allegation but sought the evidence to be submitted before the higher-ups so that action could be taken against errant officials.
The forum also state that the High Court of Bombay at Goa did not give justice to the rape survivour. The medical certificate which showed police assault and the CD which showed police pulling her and other indignities were not allowed to be produce as evidence saying that it was not part of the charge sheet, she alleged claiming that police would not put up evidence against itself in the charge sheet.
Moreover, Martins said that when the woman sought an appointment with the Chief Minister she was not given an audience. Bailancho Saad has demanded that false cases registered by the police against the rape complainants be withdrawn immediately, Heads of both the institutions be appointed immediately and various systems which have been put in place by the struggles of women’s movement have to be made effective by providing resources, infrastructure, personnel, training and monitoring be also done.
