I just smiled...

Hi, Mandir Nagar Station House Officer is found to be involved in rape. There is allegation of sexual assault and I am checking.

This message popped up my chat box when I was busy writing a gang rape story of 13-year-old girl in east Delhi’s Nand Nagri on Thursday. Within two minutes, a similar note again erupted. 

It was around 7: 45 pm and deadline to submit was very near as I had listed two stories for the day.  I decided to complete the gang rape story and thereafter will confirm about the rape allegations against SHO.

My phone ranged after I wrote a paragraph and I could not ignore it as with was another reporter from different organization was calling up. The caller asked, “Do you any idea of Station House Officer of Mandir Marg has been accused to sexual assault?”  I replied, ‘Yes and will try to get details after 15 minutes.’  After saying ok, the caller disconnected the phone.  

I started writing the gang rape story….

A 13-year-old girl alleged that she was gang raped by three youths in north east Delhi on Thursday night. After registering the complaint of the rape, police arrested all three accused who were identified as local auto-rickshaw drivers, said police.

Police said that on January 7, the victim girl, who hails from Harsh Vihar area of north East Delhi had gone missing from her residence. Her parents lodged missing complaint with police after failed to trace her from all possible places.

According to the complaint of the girl, she left home and was loitering around Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital at night. There three youths befriended her and took her to a room.

From the description of the complainant, police have reasons to suspect that the girl was taken to an abandoned room inside the hospital premises. The girl alleged that three youths raped her in the room.

On Thursday the girl herself returned and complained that she was raped by three. She was taken to the hospital and after conducting medical test, police registered a case.

The accused three have been identified as Rehan, Saleem and Sonu — all local auto-rickshaw drivers at Nand Nagri. Sources said that still the girl could give a sketchy description of the entire incident. Police have started interrogating the accused three for detail. Cops also taking help of counseling to get a detail description from the complainant girl. “There are discrepancies in the victim’s statement and we are verifying it,” said a police officer.

After completing my story I called up additional deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma to get the information about the Mandir Marg SHO. He explained that there was no such incident or allegation against his junior. We talked for almost ten minutes regarding various rumours that start erupting during night hours. “It is just a rumour and there is no truth in that and no allegation of sexual assault against the SHO,” Verma clarified.

I wrote two words to the fellow reporter in chat who first fargi news. He called and said, “It’s not fargi and I got confirmation with Deputy Commissioner of Police SBS Tyagi.”

We argued for almost five minutes wherein I stated that DCP’s junior Madhu Verma stated that its might be just rumour.  He, however, stressed me to confirm. Before calling Tygai, I thought to check with my source. I called up my source who stated that it is a month old incident and it not a sexual assault case but sexual harassment case and assistant commissioner of police is looking in the matter.  

“The allegations were leveled by a woman sub-inspector working under him,” source said.

I called up DCP Tyagi and before I could say anything he said that it is a case of sexual harassment leveled against SHO a month ago and enquiry is on. As Tyagi and I share a trust, I asked him what the real story is and what he has found in enquiry. “A 45-year-old woman sub-inspector a child of two alleged that she was sexual harassed by the SHO. When we checked, we found that the SHO asked her repeatedly to come on time and she was not giving any heed to it and when he angry shouted at her, she alleged sexual harassment. We have conducted enquiry and he was clean chit and when we transferred the woman sub-inspector she went on leave for six months. Now, if you want to write story it’s up to you,” Tyagi said and I laughed and said there is no story.    

I left for home after doing another story that a man was charred to death when a fire broke out in the car which he was driving at Pul Prahladpur.

I was wondering how the heinous crime is now being used to settle score most of the times and how the real victims are ignored.

Next day, I was surprised to find that that a few newspapers carried this. I just smiled…

Rape victims from North-East flee Delhi

Shunned by neighbours people and also by people of their own community, the victims had no option but to leave the city, said Madhu Chandra, spokesperson of North-East Support Centre and Helpline in Delhi.

“All such victims face discrimination at home as well as workplace, apart from having to suffer lewd comments,” said Chandra, citing the example of the most sensational abduction-cum-gangrape of a 30-year-old call centre executive at Dhaula Kuan on November 24 last year

“In around 40 instances of crime against women in the past two years, the police refused to register a case when the victims approached them,” Chandra alleged. And the government’s assurances of relief and rehabilitation remained mere promises. “We approached the government many times seeking rehabilitation of the victims, but no steps were taken,” he said.

Initially, the victims try to cope with their trauma and agony and within a few months, they break down and leave the unforgiving city.

“Like the Dhaula Kuan rape victim, all others too from the contiguous Northeastern states known as Seven Sisters - Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim - called it left after finding neither understanding nor support from neighbours and associates, said Chandra.

Changing residence and workplace makes it worse. The victims gradually get isolated. “Women from the Northeast feel very vulnerable here,” said Chandra.

According to figures provided by the Support Centre, of the total 63 cases of crime against women in last five years - including five rapes, five attempt to rape and 38 molestation cases - all ten victims of rape or attempt to rape returned home without fulfilling their dream of availing higher education or jobs.

Mamta Sharma, chairperson of National Commission for Women, said: “It is sad to know that rape victims had to leave the city. But they never approached us. We generally provide shelters, counselling and rehabilitation programmes for the victims.”

She admitted that victims of rape need a certain level of protection until they are capable of returning to normal life. “Whenever any kind of sexual harassment happens at the workplace, we generally approach the institution and initiate action against the culprits,” she claimed.