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Journalism of Courage
Two days after he allegedly raped a minor at a Marine Drive police post, Constable Sunil Atmaram More was dismissed today.
Confirming this, Commissioner A.N. Roy also revealed that the 32-year-old had 8216;8216;threatened and assaulted the girl before raping her.8217;8217; Police added that More 8212; who was on his bike 8212; spotted the girl and her friend after two private security guards called out to him and pointed to some couples on the tetrapods.
The girl, who had come to Churchgate to collect details about some defence course with five friends, was allegedly with her boyfriend, a 19-year-old salesboy who works in a Churchgate store.
In his statement, police added, the boy said More shooed the other couples and summoned them to the booth. 8216;8216;The boy has alleged that More threatened to book them for obscenity and wrote their names in a diary,8217;8217; said a Crime Branch officer.
The boy said More asked him to wait outside and took the girl in on the pretext of recording her statement. In her FIR, at the Marine Drive police station, the girl said More threatened to file a case against the couple.
She said though she told More her grandfather was ailing and her mother was alone at home, he continued to threaten her saying he would file a case and inform her parents. She also said More threatened to kill her and hit her on her face.
Shocked Marine Drive residents, meanwhile, continued to protest for the third day today. Standing along the city8217;s most popular promenade on Sunday evening 8212; with black flags, black bands and banners screaming 8216;Hang the rapist8217;, some residents admitted it was the first time that locals had stepped out to voice dissent.
8216;8216;This should become a movement,8217;8217; said Sunaina Sadarangani, member of the Federation of Churchgate Residents8217; Associations. 8216;8216;People cannot be cocooned in their ivory towers and say 8216;my daughter is safe8217;. Let us become responsible for our own backyards.8217;8217;
On Thursday, a drunk More was caught walking out of the police booth, brazenly telling the crowd outside that he was with the Mumbai Police and could not be harmed. This was More8217;s first stint as a constable attached to a police station. Prior to this, he served with the Local Arms division for close to a decade.
The incident has triggered public demonstrations and left the authorities scrambling to get their act together. 8216;8216;Jail mein muft ki rotiyan kyun tod raha hai Why is he feeding on free food in jail,8217;8217; a woman shouted when representatives of residents8217; associations met police officials including JCP Law and Order Ahmad Javed.
