Badshahpur rape: Cop named in victim’s suicide note let off

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 29

A local court today sentenced 10-year rigorous imprisonment to three accused in the Badshahpur gang-rape victim’s suicide case that had grabbed the headlines in the aftermath of the infamous Delhi gang-rape incident.

The court has acquitted Sub-Inspector Naseeb Singh, the only policeman accused in the case whose name had appeared in the victim’s suicide note. The sentence comes two months after the court had awarded life imprisonment to four accused in the gang-rape case. The 18-year-old had committed suicide in November 2012 after being tortured by the accused. She had blamed Balwinder Singh of Badshahpur, Gurpreet Singh (alias Aman) of Baras village and Shinderpal Kaur for her committing suicide. The victim had also accused the Sub-Inspector of not acting on her complaint for two weeks and instead compelling her family to reach a compromise with the accused.

In November last, the same court had awarded life sentence to Balwinder, Gurpreet, Sandeep Singh of Rampur Partan village and Shinderpal on the charges of rape, kidnapping, causing hurt by means of poison, criminal conspiracy and Section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012. The girl had filed a complaint on November 14, but the Badshahpur police picket in charge, Naseeb Singh, allegedly failed to act.