The Hindu : New Delhi News : Assault accused identified

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 29, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Assault accused identified

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, OCT. 28. The police have identified the accused who had allegedly criminally assaulted a visually impaired 13-year-old girl in a park at R.K. Puram in South-West Delhi on Monday.

Meanwhile, even as the National Commission for Women wrote to the Delhi police expressing concern over the alleged delay in registering the case due to security arrangements for the Prime Minister, the police denied it.

It was alleged that the victim had to wait for about four hours before a case was registered because the officers were not available to hear out her case.

The police claimed that as per records, the victim along with her father first reached the Vivek Vihar police station in East Delhi late in the evening on Monday. From there, a Sub-Inspector and a woman constable brought the victim and her father, a carpenter employed in Jawaharlal Nehru University, to R.K. Puram police station since the incident had occurred in their area. The daily diary entry showed that the Vivek Vihar police station staff reached R.K. Puram police station at 9 p.m. The R.K. Puram police station staff then visited the crime scene and a FIR was registered by 9-50 p.m. The victim was subsequently medically examined, which confirmed the assault.

According to the police, the girl used to take the bus, plying on route No. 336, to reach her school in Sector-5 R.K. Puram and take the same bus back. On Monday afternoon, the girl did not find the bus when she came out after the school was over. However, the driver of the bus came to her and said that his bus had developed some problems. He then cooked up a story saying that he would take her to her father who was waiting for her at Vasant Vihar. He, however, took her to a park and allegedly criminally assaulted her.

The accused then left the girl. After some time, she was spotted crying by the roadside by an autorickshaw driver who took the girl to her home. She then narrated the entire incident to her father following which they decided to approach the police.

Apart from denying the alleged delay, the police argued that security arrangements could never be a reason for delay. "Of course, personnel and officers are deployed as per security requirements but that does not mean that the police stations are practically closed. There is always a duty officer, an emergency officer and a sentry. There are other personnel and officers also," said an officer.

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