UP: Two cops suspended over 'negligence' in child rape case; probe ordered into SHO's role

Mathura (UP), Nov 13 (PTI) Two sub-inspectors posted at the Farah police station here have been suspended for allegedly failing to register a case under relevant sections over a complaint regarding the rape of an eight-year-old girl, an official said on Thursday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shlok Kumar said preliminary inquiry found sub-inspectors Anirudh Kumar and Satish Kumar guilty of negligence. Both have been suspended with immediate effect, and a probe has been ordered into the role of the station house officer (SHO) Triloki Singh and the two sub-inspectors.

According to the SSP, the father of the victim had submitted a complaint on November 11, stating that on October 7 he had approached the Farah police station to report that a man from his village, Kanha alias Yogesh, had allegedly raped his minor daughter on September 22 after luring her into his house while she was playing.

The father claimed that despite submitting the complaint, the police did not register a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act or the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Instead, the accused was booked under a minor charge of possessing an illegal firearm, SSP Kumar said.

The father also alleged that the police coerced him to reach a settlement, and when he refused, the accused was sent to jail on October 14 on the illegal firearm charge and later released on bail on October 27.

Upon seeing the accused return to the village, the complainant again approached the police and learned that no rape case had been registered.

Following his complaint, the SSP assigned Deputy Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Gunjan Singh to investigate the matter. Based on the report, a fresh FIR was lodged on November 10 against Yogesh under sections 5(m)/6 (aggravated sexual assault) of the POCSO Act and Section 65(2) of the BNS. The accused was later arrested from Vrindavan on Tuesday.

The SSP further said the accused's maternal uncle, Om Prakash, had allegedly threatened the victim's father against complaining to senior police officials. Om Prakash has also been arrested and booked in a separate case, Kumar added.

He said departmental and legal action will be taken against the SHO and the two sub-inspectors if they are found guilty following the detailed probe. PTI COR KIS ARB ARB