Lagatar24 Desk
Saraikela: The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) has taken serious note of the alleged rape of a woman at Gamharia police station in Saraikela district, appointing a panel advocate and a para-legal volunteer (PLV) for the victim and writing to the Superintendent of Police.
DLSA Measures for the Victim
DLSA secretary Taufique Meraj said that on the directions of PDJ and authority chairman Ramashankar Singh, a PLV has been sent to the victim’s home. A panel advocate has been appointed to provide free legal aid, and the PLV has been given the necessary instructions. A letter has also been sent to the district administration asking that the victim be given the benefit of government schemes, and steps towards suitable compensation for her rehabilitation have begun. The secretary is also meeting the victim personally to learn about the incident.
Letter to SP on Women Police at Stations
The DLSA has written to the district Superintendent of Police asking that, in light of Supreme Court directions, women police personnel be posted at police stations so that a woman police officer is present when a woman files a complaint or is questioned.
What Allegedly Happened
The incident took place on the night of October 29. A 20-year-old woman from Dugdha panchayat in Gamharia police station area had gone to the station at night seeking protection after a quarrel with her husband. She alleges that policeman Neeraj Lakra raped her in a room at the station late at night. She resisted and was injured, and cut one of the accused’s fingers with a knife kept in the room. In the morning, policemen allegedly gave her Rs 700 and told her to go to her parental home. She told her husband and filed an FIR at the station on October 31.
Three Arrested, 15 Police Personnel Suspended
Saraikela SP Manoj Swargiari formed an SIT and visited Gamharia police station on Sunday to review the incident and the investigation. Fifteen policemen have been suspended with immediate effect. The accused constable Neeraj Lakra, a sub-inspector and the station’s munshi have been arrested and sent to judicial custody. The SP said the SIT is examining every aspect and that no policeman found directly or indirectly involved will be spared. Opposition parties are continuing to question the government on women’s safety.
