A complaint was filed at Indirapuram police station and an FIR was lodged against the policeman. (Representational Image)
A trainee sub-inspector (SI) was suspended and a departmental inquiry initiated against him, after he allegedly asked for “a hug” from a woman journalist for completing police verification for her passport renewal, Thursday morning. The woman recounted the incident in a series of tweets.
“Safety of an applicant, especially that of a woman, during police verification for passport renewal is a big lacuna. The policeman who came for my verification just a few minutes ago in Ghaziabad made me feel pathetically uncomfortable,” she tweeted, tagging Ghaziabad police, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and the UP CM.
In two other posts, she alleged, “The policeman had the audacity to ask for a ‘hug’ after saying ‘I have done your verification. Now what will you give me?’.” She also named the SI in her tweet. “The experience was so scary that I had to ask my helper to stay back until the man left the house. Clearly, the policeman was intentionally trying to delay the procedure in order to buy more time and look for a chance,” she added.
A complaint was filed at Indirapuram police station and an FIR was lodged against the policeman. Late Thursday, the official Twitter handle of UP police wrote to the journalist: “We deeply regret such inappropriate behaviour on the part of the policeman. On the instructions of DGP UP, an enquiry was ordered and the policeman concerned has been suspended by the Ghaziabad SSP.” A senior Ghaziabad officer said, “A complaint was received and an FIR registered. The SI has been suspended. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated.”