Two cops suspended for not acting on complaint

Thiruvananthapuram: Two police officers of Pettah police station have been placed under suspension for dereliction of duty after it came to light that they didn’t file a case even after being alerted about a sexual assault. DCP V Ajith said that the officers reached the spot after they were informed but failed to take proper legal action.
According to the 49-year-old woman, the incident took place on March 13 between 11 and 11:30pm when she went out to get medicines at the General Hospital junction on her scooter. On realizing that she had forgotten to take money with her, she took a U-turn near Moolavilakom junction, near Pattoor to return home when she felt like being followed.
“I stopped the scooter immediately to find a man who also stopped his vehicle next to mine. I quickly started again but he managed to block my way. With the helmet on, the man, who seemed to be in his early-thirties came up to me and touched me inappropriately. He became violent and attacked me when I tried to push him off. He held me by my hair and proceeded to brush the left side of my face against a nearby stone wall. With scratches on my face and a blurring vision due to the hits on the wall, I cried out for help. I managed to hit him on his back by throwing a few rocks after which he ran away from the spot,” she recalled.
The survivor, who somehow managed to return home, was then taken to a private hospital by her daughter. The Pettah police, who were informed of the situation, did not offer any assistance, she said.
“My daughter was shocked at the sight of my injured face and called Pettah police station for help. The officer who attended the call asked a number of pointless questions and refused to send an ambulance on request even after informing that it was just two women. When we were at the hospital, an officer called my daughter and asked her to come to the station and file a complaint. Since I had sustained injuries and required rest, she could not leave me alone and go,” she said.
With no word from the police for three days, the woman lodged a complaint with the commissioner. Subsequently, a SI and two police officers reached her house to record her statement.
“What hurts me the most is that the three witnesses to the crime — the security guard of a nearby computer centre and two women staying at a house opposite to where the incident occurred — refused to save me even after watching the incident taking place. It is scary to think that this happened to me at the place where I grew up. Our society and our security systems have failed once again in making women’s safety a reality,” she said.