In a curious turn of events in a case of sexual abuse of a minor girl inside a cinema hall at Edappal, a police sub-inspector was suspended from service and charges slapped against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
K.G. Baby, Sub-Inspector of the Changaramkulam police station, on Sunday became the first police officer in the State to face charges under the POCSO Act when he was suspended by District Superintendent of Police Debeshkumar Behara. Mr. Baby has been booked under Section 19 of the POCSO Act, which deals with mandatory reporting of child abuse cases. The police were forced to act when the incident of sexual abuse that had taken place on April 18 came to light through the visual media. The incident prompted the State Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to intervene and criticise the police.
The police faced the music for not acting against the culprits in spite of having received the video footage of the abuse from Childline officials on April 26. The police arrested the man, Moideen Kutty, and the girl’s mother. Relevant sections of the POCSO Act have been slapped against both. The footage showed the man, seated between the mother and the daughter, sexually abusing both. The police recorded the statement of the child in front of a magistrate, and later produced her before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). She was later sent to a shelter home. District Crime Records Bureau Dy.SP has been given charge of the investigation. “We are investigating. We suspended the Changaramkulam SHO (station house officer) as he failed in registering the case and proceeding with the investigation,” said Mr. Behara.
Childline criticised
Meanwhile, some police officers have turned against Childline for leaking the footage to a section of the media. But Childline officials said they had given the footage to the media after seeking all legal means to ensure justice to the child.
The theatre owner had given the footage to Childline on April 25. The Childline handed over the tape to the police the next day after verifying the identity of the man. However, the police did not act on it until the incident triggered the public anger on Saturday.
