In a proverbial case of ``once bitten, twice shy'', the Haryana Police has finally registered a case against retired senior cop M. S. Ahlawat who has been accused by a Yamunanagar-based advocate of allegedly threatening her and outraging her modesty in 2002.
Coincidentally, the alleged incident occurred when Ahlawat, who retired recently as Inspector-General, was posted as Superintendent of Police at Yamunanagar and another disgraced Haryana cop S. P. S. Rathore, recently convicted by a Chandigarh Court for molesting a teenager in 1990 who subsequently committed suicide, was the Director General of Police.
Yamunanagar SP S.Kabiraj confirmed that a case had been registered against Ahlawat on Tuesday under Sections 354 (criminal force on woman with intent to outrage modesty), 323 (assault with intent to voluntarily cause hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and a special team headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) had been assigned the investigation of the case and asked to submit the report at the earliest.
According to the FIR lodged by the victim way back in 2002, she had `` met'' Ahlawat regarding a dowry harassment case filed by her against her in-laws. She further alleged that the SP had summoned her in May 2002 in the garb of helping her to his camp office at his residence and allegedly sexually harassed her and said obscene things on the telephone.
She had further charged that the Yamunanagar cops had not registered any case on her complaint. However, much later after she met higher authorities, the then Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Swaranjit Singh had conducted an inquiry and recommended departmental proceedings against Mr.Ahlawat but no action was initiated.
It may be recalled that the victim had last year gone on hunger strike and tried to commit suicide outside the office of the Director-General of Police Ranjiv Dalal at Panchkula seeking justice and action against Ahlawat.
It was following intervention by the Chief Minister's office that her allegations were got ``investigated'' which has now culminated in the registration of a case against the retired IG.
