Girl’s brother lodges fresh complaint

The former Haryana DGP, S.P. S. Rathore, coming out of a court at Panchkula with his wife and lawyer Abha after applying for anticipatory bail on Wednesday. Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

Panchkula police has received a fresh complaint seeking registration of a case of abetment to suicide and criminal conspiracy against former DGP of Haryana S.P.S. Rathore and other police officials, on Thursday, from the brother of the school-going tennis player who was molested by Mr. Rathore and who committed suicide later. The fresh complaint comes after the victim’s family and lawyer met Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi on Wednesday. The complaint seeks that a fresh FIR be registered under sections 306/107/108 IPC r/w section 120-B IPC against S.P.S. Rathore (Ex-DGP, Haryana), the then SP K.P. Singh, ASI Jai Narayan, SI Prem Dutt, ASI Sewa Singh and others.

“I have met the SP and sought that a case under 306 of IPC [abetment to suicide] against Rathore,” said the brother after filing the complaint. According to the family’s lawyer, Pankaj Bhardwaj, there is enough evidence to prove the charge (abetment to suicide). “In 2005, the CBI ignored important evidence while investigating and limited its investigation to the molestation (section 354) charge only,” Mr. Bhardwaj said.

Cognizable offence

He noted that after the police register the fresh FIR on their complaint the investigation would have to be completed within 90 days and the family would prefer a day-to-day trial against Mr. Rathore. “This is a cognizable offence and the police have the power to arrest Rathore,” he said, adding that the Panchkula police was bound to register an FIR and arrest the ex-DGP. The lawyer added that the police did not register any statement of the brother after his sister’s suicide.

Meanwhile, Panchkula Superintendent of Police Maneesh Chaudhary said: “No action could be taken until legal opinion on the issue was ascertained.” Assuring that the procedure would be unbiased and timely he added that, “It is a very old case and after the legal opinion, even the evidence needs to be considered.”

The complaint states that, “She was virtually forced to commit suicide because she could not see the treatment meted out to me on the day I was paraded half naked in the lane, where we were living. She took the atrocities committed upon her, but she could not take the harassment meted out to me, her brother.”

The complaint alleged that the accused had the knowledge and intention that the abetment would finally result in the victim’s suicide.