Commissioner orders probe into rape victim being harassed at police station in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: The city police commissioner on Monday ordered an inquiry against police personnel at Sampangiram Nagar police station, who allegedly demanded money from a rape victim and threatened her brother.

A policeman had allegedly asked the victim to pay money for fuel so that he could travel to Doddaballapura to arrest the accused Ramanji. The accused is a supervisor in the housekeeping department of a private hospital. The victim, a 22-year-old maid at the hospital, said she was cleaning the bathroom when Ramanji sexually assaulted her on October 15.

City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar told Express: “I was aware of the incident and Ramanji was arrested after the victim filed a case. I will order a senior police officer to conduct an inquiry over the allegations that the police station staff demanded money from the victim. Action will be taken over the same.’’

The victim’s brother on Monday told Express that one Mahadev, a police personnel at the station, demanded money for fuel in order to arrest the accused. “He asked for money repeatedly when I was in the station with my sister and her husband. When I asked him why he could not use the police jeeps that had been provided, another policeman Somashekar intervened and abused me. He also threatened to put me behind bars if I continue to to ‘preach to them’.

Then I took a video of Somashekar while he was standing near the police station gate, so that I have some proof of his abuse. This would help me  complain to his seniors. Later, I complained to the personal secretary of the chief minister about the incident. He advised me to solve the issue within the police station.”

The victim was allegedly raped at a private hospital near Corporation Circle and she had approached Sampangiram Nagar police to file a case the next day after discussing the matter with her husband. The station staff also questioned her morality and allegedly said: “How could the incident happen without  her co-operation?”. This was asked before an inspector filed the FIR.

A spokesperson from the hospital said the incident came to light when the police issued a notice after filing a case. “She did not discuss the incident with us and stopped coming to work. We are co-operating with the police and do not want to disclose any sensitive information about the case. We have also written a letter to the agency that had hired Ramanji and the victim. The hospital has an Internal Complaints Committee which will discuss the matter and take action,’’ the spokesperson added.