SHO among 3 suspended in J&K's Samba for dereliction of duty in rape complaint

Jammu, April 23

Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh on Saturday ordered suspension of three policemen and removal of a senior officer for alleged delay in registration of a rape complaint in Samba district.

Station house officer (SHO) Ali Imran, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Rattan Lal and head constable Satwinder Singh have been placed under suspension and sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Vishal Manhas of Vijaypur in Samba has been removed from his post and attached with the zonal police headquarters for poor supervision and control.

The Director General of Police (DGP) has also ordered a departmental inquiry into the dereliction of duty by these policemen.

The matter pertains to a complaint by a woman who accused one Shammi of raping her 11-year-old daughter after entering her house in Bazigar Basti in Vijaypur tehsil on intervening night of April 16 and 17.

Exercising undue influence, the SHO and other officials allegedly delayed the registration of case, changed the nature of the complaint and forced the complainant to enter into compromise with the accused.

Also, the minor girl and her mother were not treated as per the laid down procedure of POSCO, it is alleged.

After the DGP learnt about the role of the officials through a CID report, he ordered a probe by the crime branch, and the special crime branch team confirmed the offence against the minor girl.

"The conduct of some of these officials is unbecoming and warrants action as duties were not performed in the given manner, which amounts to grave dereliction of duty", the DGP's order read.