New Indian Express: Why no FIR against Sardar Singh, DCW asks Delhi Police
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, asking why an FIR has not been lodged against India Hockey captain Sardar Singh in an alleged sexual assault case even eight days after a complaint was registered.
DCW has also asked why the complainant was interrogated by a male ACP about physical relations with the accused and not by a lady officer and made to stay in the police station till close to midnight.
The Commission had on June 15 recommended registration of an FIR in the matter.
“The Commission has been informed that despite a complaint being lodged at Chanakyapuri police station, no FIR has been registered till date.
“The Commission views this seriously as it is a contravention of a judgment by the Supreme Court…wherein it was held that the registration of FIR is mandatory under Section 154 CrPC, if the information discloses commission of a cognizable offence and no preliminary inquiry is permissible in such a situation,” the notice said.
The Commission received a representation on June 22 regarding certain “transgressions” in protocol that have been committed by Delhi Police according to which the male ACP had interrogated the complainant about physical relations with the accused, as opposed to a lady officer.
Also, the complainant alleged that she was called to the police station at 9 PM on June 16 and was made to stay in the police station till close to midnight. The complainant was contacted by a lady officer only on June 20, seven days after the receipt of the complaint, it said.
The Commission has asked the DCP to respond within 48 hours from the receipt of the notice.
The Commission, in its notice, said that “as per Section 166A IPC, if a police officer fails to record any information given to him u/s 154(1) CrPC in relation to a cognizable offence, punishable u/s 376 IPC, he shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than six months, which may extend to two years and shall also be liable to fine.”
DCW chief Swati Maliwal had earlier demanded registration of an FIR against Punjab Police for failing to register an FIR against Singh despite the woman alleging rape and assault in January 2016.
The complainant, a British woman Hockey player of Indian origin, has approached the Commission alleging she was physically assaulted by Singh and that there was an attempt to push her from the top floor of a five-star hotel in Delhi.
The Commission had earlier issued a notice to Hockey India president Narinder Batra and sought an explanation with regard to the allegations made by the complainant against Hockey India and the action taken or proposed to be taken by it in the matter.
The 21-year-old complainant was the first British-Asian woman to represent England in hockey in 2010 as part of their junior women’s team.
She had filed a police complaint in February in Ludhiana following which an SIT was formed to probe the sexual harassment allegations. The SIT had given a clean chit to the Indian hockey team skipper.
Sardar had denied all the allegations, saying that the charges were “false”.