FIR lodged against former SHO, seven others on court's order in UP

Jalaun (UP), Jul 8 (PTI) An FIR has been registered against the then Station House Officer (SHO) of Ait police station, a sub-inspector and six others in connection with a molestation case in Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun district, officials said on Wednesday. Ait SHO Dilip Kumar said the FIR was lodged on Tuesday night in compliance with an order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM). Those booked include former SHO Pankaj Pandey, then sub-inspector Abhishek Porwal, two unidentified policemen, Kartik Tripathi and three unidentified associates. The case has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation has begun, he said. According to the complaint filed before the court, a woman from Ait town alleged that on February 26, Tripathi and his associates molested her, behaved indecently and attempted to force her into a car. When she resisted, they allegedly tried to run her over, but she was saved after local people intervened. The woman alleged that despite informing the police and later submitting a written complaint on February 28, no action was taken. She further alleged that the then SHO protected the main accused and that when she tried to record a video of the incident, the SHO, the sub-inspector and other policemen assaulted her, snatched her mobile phone, pressured her to reach a compromise and threatened to implicate her in a false case. The complainant said she had approached senior police and government authorities and also sought preservation of CCTV footage. After no action was taken, she moved the CJM court under Section 173(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), following which the court directed registration of an FIR. Police said an investigation is underway. PTI COR KIS DV DV