KOLKATA: Police on Friday registered a
suo motu FIR to probe the alleged
assault of a couple — who were ‘accused’ of embracing each other inside the compartment — by a section of
fellow passengers on Monday night. The move came after the
Metro authorities forwarded a mass petition signed by Metro passengers.
The change in stance — police had been reluctant to file an FIR so far — finally came after the cops claimed to have found conclusive evidence of a commotion that was noticed at the southern end of the Dum Dum platform on Monday night.
The findings in the preliminary inquiry came hours after cops registered an FIR on the Thursday night incident — in which some women agitators protesting against moral policing outside the Dum Dum Metro station were molested.
However, senior officers have yet again made it clear that even after going through all available leads about the Monday night incident — the CCTV footage, some statements from Metro officials and RPF personnel and even online posts — they are unable to establish the commission of the crime for lack of a single indicative evidence.
The first case is in sharp contrast to the police probe in the second incident, in which, one of the survivors wasted no time in contacting the Sinthee police to lodge a complaint of molestation against a mob. The complainant alleged that the mob molested and thrashed some young girls on Thursday evening for daring to protest against moral policing.
“We have registered an FIR and taken prompt action so that the perpetrators can be identified and nabbed,” said DC (North) Debasis Sarkar. Sources in the north police division and the Metro police said that they will write to the Metro authorities to procure the footage. “We have decided to record the statements of the witnesses at the earliest. A prayer for recording the confidential statement of the suvivour before the magistrate will be made soon,” said an officer.
Both the probes are being monitored by Lalbazar. Sources said it was too early to say the same persons were involved in both incidents. “If we do identify the accused involved in Thursday evening’s incident, we will definitely probe his role in the first one,” said an officer. Some hawkers from the Dum Dum railway station are reportedly under the cop scanner for being involved in the second incident. The GRP is likely to be roped in along with the RPF for identifying the accused involved in Thursday’s incident.
