Over 30 Delhi policemen booked for sexual harassment in 3 years

NEW DELHI: More than 30 personnel, from the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police to constable, were booked by Delhi Police on sexual harassment charges in the past three years.

The alleged offences committed by personnel of one of the most elite forces of the country include molestation, rape with minors, beating up women, forcefully developing illicit relationship on fake identities, writing a letter using indecent and objectionable language and dowry harassment.

Exercising his Right to Information, Ashwini Shrivastava sought information on cases of sexual harassment against Delhi Police personnel registered between 2007 and September 2010. According to the information received in response to his query, such cases were registered against 33 Delhi Police officers during that period.

Some of the cases registered by it are still under investigation, while in some cases the policemen are facing departmental action. In a few cases, the officers were either terminated from the service or exonerated by the court.

A complaint by Assistant Sub-Inspector Sarabjeet Kaur, working with 4th battalion Delhi Armed Police (now 1st Battalion) against ACP Balvir Singh on June 17, 2009, is being dealt with by police headquarters, the RTI reply said.

In one of the three FIRs filed in Outer District in 2009, a constable, Rohtash, was accused of developing "illicit relations" with a woman and also "harassing" her. The case was registered on April 13 and a departmental inquiry was initiated against him on July 23 last year, it said.

During the same year, constable Somdev allegedly "made sexual relations with a lady on false promise of marriage and concealed his real identity... A departmental enquiry has been initiated against him," the RTI reply said.

The DE was also initiated against a Sub-Inspector, Brahm Singh, on the basis of a case registered by Khajuri Khas police station on February 2 last year for allegedly molesting a woman while both were travelling in an autorickshaw, it said.

In West District, SI Mukesh Kumar was accused of molesting a woman ASI. "Besides registering the case (August 2, 2010 in Rajouri Garden police station) against him, he was placed under suspension and a DE has been initiated against him which is pending enquiry," the response said.