‘Rape victim shooed away by police’

Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 22

“Ki har kamm police hi kare” (should every job be performed by the police). This was the first reaction of a policeman of the Mohali PCR after reaching a spot in Sector 82 here where a young migrant woman, who alleged she was gangraped, was lying on the footpath since early this morning.

Eyewitnesses said a PCR party came to the spot. “After giving a callous reaction, a policeman ‘shooed’ away the poor woman without asking her any question or extending a helping hand to her. He then started issuing challans to helmetless drivers just a few metres away from the spot,” said the eyewitnesses.

“The insensitive approach of the Mohali police virtually shocked us,” they said, adding that the poor woman had revealed to a woman vendor that she was raped by three persons last night.

Another eyewitness claimed that a private security guard had informed the police about the woman. 

The woman was seen lying on the footpath along the road of the main market since early morning. “She was given tea and snacks by a street vendor,” said the eyewitnesses.  

The PCR party did not even inform the area police station about her. Inspector Pawan Kumar, SHO of the Sohana police station, pleaded ignorance about the case.