IO cross-examined by CBI,says cops failed to probe allegations of woman

Investigating officer (IO),who had probed the case of rape by police officials and the subsequent suicide of a Rohtak woman,Sarita,was on Tuesday called for cross-examination by the special CBI court of Najar Singh. Satish Daggar,during cross-examination,revealed that there was failure on the part of the Haryana Police to probe the allegations levelled by the woman in 2008,that she was asked by police officials to cough out money to get the case withdrawn against her husband,who was caught in a theft case,and was subsequently raped at a police station in Rohtak.

Special public prosecutor H P S Verma said that the IO was called for cross-examination in the case and he pointed to the role of failure on the part of the Haryana Police in investigating the allegations that were levelled by the woman. “The IO said that the woman had complained to high-level police officials that she was asked to cough out Rs 6,000,and after she failed to pay the money she was raped at the police station. We also have the call detail records to prove that the woman was called by the police personnel,” said Verma.

Along with assistant sub-inspector Seelak Ram and head constable Balraj,who were booked in the case,the role of senior officials is also under the scanner.

Protesting against police harassment,Sarita had committed suicide outside the police headquarters in Panchkula on June 9,2008. In the case,Ram and Balraj were named by the CBI,along with former Rohtak Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Dheeraj Setia,inspector Pawan Kumar and head constable Ramphal. The woman,in her suicide note,had alleged that she was committing suicide as the police failed to take action against two police officials who raped her in Rohtak in 2008,when she was summoned by CIA staff,who had arrested her husband in a theft case.