A month after a five-year-old was allegedly gang-raped in east Delhi, a city court on Tuesday asked the Delhi police what action it has taken on a complaint seeking registration of a first information report against police personnel for their purported irregularities and sought a status report by May 29.
Special Judge Narottam Kaushal passed the order on a complaint filed by right to information activist Vivek Garg seeking registration of FIR against three suspended policemen – Assitant Commissioner of police Bani Singh Ahlawat, Inspector Dharampal Singh, Sub-inspector Mahavir Singh and also other policemen who allegedly threatened the girl's family and offered them money to hush up the matter.
Garg has sought registration of FIR against ACP Ahlawat for assaulting and causing grievous hurt by slapping a 17-year-old girl protester, who was trying to meet the rape victim at a hospital in New Delhi.
He was suspended after the incident. The complainant also sought action against Dharampal Singh, the suspended station house officer of Gandhi Nagar police station where the victim's missing persons report was registered April 15, and the initial investigating officer of the case Sub-Inspector Mahavir Singh.
Garg's counsel Ajay Goel told the court that the girl, who was kidnapped and raped allegedly by Manoj and Pradeep in east Delhi and kept in captivity for two days, could have been recovered much earlier had the police swung into action immediately and launched a search for the minor.
He also said the police by offering Rs 2,000 to the girl's family and not registering the FIR promptly, had committed contempt of Supreme Court.
The court directed the crime branch of the Delhi police to furnish before it a status report by May 29. Both Manoj and Pradeep are at present in judicial custody. They are accused of kidnapping and raping the minor and also trying to strangulate her. The girl was recovered from their house 40 hours later.
After the commission of crime, the duo had left Delhi and were arrested from different places in Bihar.