5 booked for molesting Dalit sisters

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Kila Lal Singh (Batala), May 18

Accusing five youths of their village, Shampura, of molesting them, two Dalit sisters today rushed to Kila Lal Singh police station in torn clothes.

The teenaged girls claimed that they had lodged a verbal complaint with the police a few days ago that the youths had photoshopped their pictures and posted these on social media. Despite repeated requests, the police took no action because the youths were known to a prominent Congress leader of Gurdaspur district, they alleged.

“Instead, the cops picked up our brother and beat him up him in the police station this morning. The cops also informed the boys about our complaint. They came to our house and tore our clothes, threatening us with dire consequences if we reported the matter,” they said.

When the sisters reached the police station, scores of villagers blocked the road along the UBDC canal to protest against the police.

Subsequently, Batala SSP Deepak Hilori ordered the Kila Lal Singh SHO to book the boys under Sections 354 (assault on a woman or using criminal force to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting armed with a deadly weapon) and 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence) of the IPC. The accused are Rahul, Sulieman, Akash, Raju and Punna.

“The allegation that the girls’ pictures were photoshopped is being probed. The police are not working under any pressure,” the SSP said.