Forum

Dharmendra

touch

Three boys who are sons of policemen attacked two young girls involved in an accident that occurred outside Adugodi police stationNo lessons have been learnt from the Nirbhaya case in Bangalore. An year after that case shook the country, two young girls heading to an old age home to donate rice and fruits were slapped, kicked in their stomachs and molested in public right in front of the Adugodi traffic police station (less than 500 metres fromMall) at around 11.30 am on Wednesday. The cops watched mutely because the three young attackers were the children of two lower-rung policemen.The boys even assaulted the mother of one of the girls, when she and other members of the family rushed to the girls’ rescue upon learning about the incident. The attackers have been identified as Chandan Patel (23), his brother Chakravarthi Patel (20), sons of an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Lakkanna Patel and Nayana (19) , son of, a head constable with City Armed Reserve. They live in Adugodi police quarters located near the police station. Chandan is a final year diploma student, Chakravarthi is a second year BCom student and Nayana is a cash manager in a private firm.A ‘crime prevention programme’ was on at the same time at the Adugodi police station. But local cops turned a deaf ear when the girls insisted on registering their complaints for almost two hours.Finally, an FIR was registered after the police brass were contacted by the girl's father. The miscreants have finally been arrested and charged with assault and outraging a woman's modesty, which are non-bailable offences. They have been remanded to judicial custody.Narrating what happened on Wednesday morning, a still-petrified 23-year-old Stuthi (name changed on request) told Bangalore Mirror: ‘‘My friend and I were going in my car to an old age home to distribute rice and fruits. Near Adugodi junction, in front of the traffic police station building, we were stuck in a traffic jam. A Canter van hit us. We stopped the car and were having an argument with the van driver, when two boys standing at the junction started making lewd comments about us and intervened in the argument.“I asked them what their problem was. It did not go well with them. One of them came charging towards me. Thinking he was going to assault me, I raised my hands to push him in self-defence. He slapped me. When my friend protested, he kicked her in the stomach. Her sunglasses fell and he stepped on them deliberately. He and his friend slapped us once again and molested us and pulled our hair.“Two traffic policemen who were at the junction remained mute spectators to the whole episode. I yelled out that I would inform my parents who live in nearby Koramangala. The boys shouted back that they were not scared as their father is a police officer and nothing can happen to them.“As we were exchanging words, a traffic policeman came and asked us to shift our vehicle to Adugodi police grounds and go to traffic police station to report about the accident. When we were parking the car, the boys followed us and assaulted us again.“In fear, I rushed into the traffic police station. The two boys accompanied by a third boy followed us, making nasty comments. I called my mother and informed her about the incident. Sometime after that, my father, mother and sister came to the police station. My mother asked the boys what their problem was and why they were behaving like this with two young girls who were like their sisters. They slapped my mother and pulled her hair too.“My father and sister tried to catch hold of one of them. A policeman who was in the station, instead of coming to a woman's rescue, began to support the boys, telling my father that they are the children of a police officer who lives in the quarters next door. He told my father not tothe boys and stood in front of the boys, shielding them. He refused to take note of our complaint and stop the boys.“Left with no choice, we went to the Adugodi law and order police station to register our complaint along with the boys and the traffic police. Our complaint remained unattended for a long time. No senior officer was present in the police station. My father then got in touch with Joint Commissioner of Police (East) B K Singh over the phone. He was kind enough to listen to our plight and issue necessary instructions to Adugodi police on registering our complaint. After this, they registered our complaint.’’Stuthi's face and lips remained swollen with a blood clot visible and her friend too sustained injuries. They were sent to a medical check-up to ascertain the extent of injuries. “After registering their complaint, we found out who assaulted them. They were secured and questioned. The boys told us that they did not assault the girls, it was they who were assaulted by the girls. Despite this, we have arrested them keeping in mind the sensitivity of the complaint made by two young girls,’’ police said. They have been arrested under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 509 (word, gesture or intent to outrage a women’s modesty) and 354 (assault or criminal force against a woman to outrage her modesty), the police said.“It is a serious issue. They should not have gone to that extent. We will inquire in detail and take necessary action. Meanwhile, we will ensure the security of the girls,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) HS Revanna said.Revanna came down harshly on the traffic police, stating that they could have stopped the youth from assaulting two young girls on the road. ‘’It is their duty, so what if they are traffic police, they are wearing the uniform and they cannot allow someone to assault girls in the station,’’ he said.“More than their bad behaviour, we are shattered by the traffic police's approach towards women’s safety,’’ Stuthi said.When the three boys were produced before the magistrate, their parents came to the police station and requested the girl’s parents to take back the complaint and not to make it a big issue as their children don’t have any criminal background and they have not heard their version yet. But the girl decided to stand firm on the issue as it happened in the presence of policemen and she did not want it repeated.The accident that triggered the entire episode, however, has ended in a compromise between the Canter driver and Stuthi.