Nagpur: Two senior office bearers of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), including the city women’s wing chief, have been booked under section 228A of Indian Penal Code (IPC) by Nagpur rural police for allegedly posting the name and photographs of Umred gang rape survivor on a WhatsApp (social media) group.
The charges, if proved, may lead to imprisonment up to two years and fine for the women NCP leaders. The WhatsApp group administrator and members, who may have forwarded the posts, too would be under the scanner in the investigation by Sub-Divisional Police officer, Umred sub-division, Pornima Taware.
TOI had, in editions dated August 17 and 20, highlighted the violation of IPC 228A and several past judicial pronouncements, by the NCP women members twice within 48 hours. After TOI first reported the violation by Urvashi Giradkar in the WhatsApp group on August 16, the same was repeated by Alka Kamble on August 18. Kamble’s post was reported on TOI’s August 20 edition.
The NCP women activists appeared to be trying to gain political mileage by highlighting the crime, and claiming to be fighting for the cause by posting details of the visit of ex-minister Jayant Patil to the hospital last week, and their agitations later.
Following the reports in TOI, and also intervention of Maharashtra State Commission for Women’s city-based member Neeta Thakare, Umred police registered an FIR against Kamble and Giradkar under IPC 228A for disclosing the name and picture of the gang rape survivor, who is now recuperating at a private hospital. There is prior criminal record against Kamble, said a police source.
The name and photograph of Patil, now state president of the party, is also included in the post by Giradkar. After TOI alerted former NCP minister Anil Deshmukh, Giradkar is learnt to have tried to delete her post, but it remained in the group. However, unfazed by the outcry, Kamble posted the image of the bed-ridden survivor on August 18 again.
NCP city president Anil Ahirkar condemned the repeated posting of the survivor’s name and image in the group, saying he would take up the issue in the next party meeting. “It is wrong to post such sensitive details,” he said.
SP, Nagpur rural, Rakesh Ola said police would not probe the case under any political pressure. “Had we been under any pressure then the offence would not have been registered in the first place,” he said. Ola added they would investigate the possibility of adding the IT Act in the offences as the posts were made via mobile phones.
Sources in Umred police said the cyber cell of Nagpur police would be referred the posts to ascertain their source, and also pinpoint the person behind it. “We would summon the concerned persons for probe when needed after the cyber cell authenticates the sources,” said a senior police officer from Kuhi police station.
Maharashtra State Commission for Women’s city-based member Neeta Thakare said she would review the progress of the case and also write on behalf of her office for fair investigation.
