Cop sent to district lines for ‘misbehaving’ with woman

A police officer has been sent to the district lines after a woman from the Northeast accused him of misbehaving with her during a raid in South Delhi’s Ashram area, officials said on Sunday.

The incident came to light after a post on X alleging harassment by the accused went viral, sparking outrage and demands for strict action against the policeman.

The post alleged that Virender, as assistant sub-inspector (ASI) attached to the Ashram police station, misbehaved with the woman during a search operation at a shop in Maharani Bagh.

Later, the Delhi Police issued a statement that said the matter was being probed while the accused ASI had been sent to the district lines.

According to the statement, a PCR call was received around 9.30 am on Saturday about alleged sale and consumption of illicit liquor at a shop in the SLC area.

The call was marked to Virender, who along with a team reached the spot and seized 20 quarters and 20 bottles of illicit liquor from the shop, the statement said.

Nearly two hours later, another PCR call was received in which a woman linked to the shop alleged inappropriate conduct by the ASI during the raid.

The police claimed the second call appeared to be an attempt to pressurise the officer into not taking legal action regarding the earlier seizure.

Soon, a group of people from the Northeast gathered outside the Ashram police station and demanded stern action against the policeman.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, senior officers, including the DCP (Southeast) and the ACP (Lajpat Nagar), reached the spot and pacified the crowd.

“The officers assured the protesters that the complaint will be probed in a fair and transparent manner, and no one will be shielded. Disciplinary action was taken promptly, and ASI Virender was sent to the district lines with immediate effect,” the statement said.

“The public grievances cell of Southeast district is conducting a detailed inquiry into the incident. Action will follow based on the findings of the inquiry,” it added.

In the statement, the Delhi Police also appealed to people to avoid sharing unverified claims on social media, saying they were monitoring the online content related to the case.