Punjab police's apathy forces teen rape victim to commit suicide

Patiala/Chandigarh: An 18-year-old girl committed suicide, 44 days after she was allegedly gangraped and police failed to act against the accused. Punjab Police sacked two of its personnel, including a DSP, and suspended an Assistant Sub Inspector, besides ordering a probe into police inaction against the rape accused for a long time. The probe will be conducted by a senior police officer. All the three rape accused, including Shinderpal Kaur, were arrested only today. Police sources in Patiala said today that on the night of Diwali (13 November) the girl of village Badshahpur was allegedly raped by Balwinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh with the connivance of one woman Shinderpal Kaur. [caption id=“attachment_571803” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Screengrab from IBN-Live video.[/caption] The victim had reported the matter to the police station Ghaggha of the district but the Station House Officer of Ghagga Police Station Gurcharan Singh registered the FIR after 14 days — on 27 November — under various sections of the IPC including 363, 376 and 34 IPC. Police sources said Gurcharan used to ask the victim embarassing questions relating to the alleged rape every time she used to visit the police station to find out about follow-up action on her complaint. They said the girl consumed poisonous substance at her house and died in a nearby hospital last night. The Investigation Officer of the case Assistant Sub Inspector Nasib Singh failed to complete his probe into the case while Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Patran Harpreet Singh, under whose jurisdiction the crime spot fell, did not take any action in the matter, resulting in the girl committing suicide. On the basis of a preliminary inquiry, Harpreet Singh was suspended and Gurcharan Singh and Nasib Singh were sacked. PTI