Inquiry launched into Poovar police handling tribal girl’s gang-rape case

Thiruvananthapuram: District police chief (Thiruvananthapuram rural) Kiran Narayanan on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the alleged lapses by Poovar police in handling the gang-rape case of a minor tribal girl.Poovar police had arrested three youths for gang-raping a 15-year-old tribal girl in a car after taking her and her 13-year-old sister under the pretext of a sightseeing trip to Poovar. The incident was reported to the police by local people who spotted the car in an isolated place. Local people alleged that even though the crime took place on Oct 24, the police registered the case only on Oct 26 and arrested the three youths the following day.They also alleged that after the incident, Poovar police reached the house of the survivor in a jeep and revealed the identities of the girls to the people who approached the officers to inquire about the reason for their presence. The officers then held talks with the mother of the survivor outside their house in the presence of people from the locality. Later, the police also tried to cover up the case on behalf of the accused by pressuring the parents.The case was registered only after the locals took up the issue and approached Neyyattinkara DSP."No one has filed any complaint; however, a team has been constituted to check the authenticity of the allegations. If they are found to be true, suitable action will be initiated against officers concerned," said the rural police chief.The girls, who were known to the accused, were taken for sightseeing in a car by the three youths. However, they gang-raped the elder sister after stopping the car at an isolated place. "At least, the police could have held the talks with the mother inside the house. Instead, she was called to the road and the police discussed the issue in front of all," said Aneesh, a Poovar native.
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