The Hindu : NSA invoked against four for molesting girls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 29, 2003

National

National

NSA invoked against four for molesting girls

By K. Balchand

PATNA Dec. 28. The Railway Police have invoked the provisions under the National Security Act (NSA) against four persons who had allegedly molested some members and assaulted others of a theatre group from Jammu and Kashmir when they were on their way to participate in the National Theatre Festival at Kolkata last week.

The members of the Academy of Art, Culture and Language, Jammu and Kashmir, recorded their statement with the police at the Patna railway junction during their return journey under heavy police protection.

Among others, the group leader, Balwant Thakur, IAS and Secretary of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, who suffered injuries while protesting against the molestation, named four persons, including a ward councillor who was also a leader of the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal, in his complaint lodged with the Railway Police.

On the basis of their deposition, the police have registered a case against Ashok Yadav, Mukesh, Suresh Kumar and Sajjan Kumar, and served notices on them. But none of them has respond to the notices.

They have been charged with not only molesting girls, but also beating up the brother of one of them.

The four accused also threatened to throw one of the troupe members out of the running train.

Ashok Yadav allegedly called his goons through his mobile phone and assaulted the officer and some others at the Patna Junction.

According to the Railway DIG, K.R. Chandra, the list of passengers travelling in the compartment in which the theatre group girls were molested had been obtained and, if necessary, they would be summoned to depose as eyewitnesses.

He said that the Government had taken the incident seriously and would not spare anyone as it had tarnished the image of the State and created a sense of insecurity among the passengers travelling through the State.

The Railway Superintendent of Police had sent his recommendation to the District Magistrate for his approval for booking the accused under the NSA, he added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National