The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has found how lack of professionalism on part of UP Police resulted in human rights violation of a newly-wed couple in Balrampur.
Taking cognizance of the lapses and violations, SP of Balrampur has been summoned to appear before the NHRC along with Investigating Officer (IO) of the case on September 27.
An NHRC release confirmed that even after orders of a Balrampur court, the cops not only closes a case of love marriage but added section 376 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) to it and arrested the youth and his father throwing norms to the winds. The Court had found both the youth and the girl were majors and allowed the girl to live with her husband.
Not only this, in response to notices of the Commission, SP of failed to give a clear chain of incidents on unity of time, action and place involving couple’s marriage and action taken on another FIR registered by the girl, alleging sexual assault by a sub-inspector, when she and her husband was detained at a police station on August 12 and 13, 2014.
These findings surfaced before the Commission during inquiry in a case registered in 2014 on the basis of a complaint by a human rights activist alleging rights violation of the newly-wed.
Taking serious exceptions to the police functioning, the Commission has asked SP, Balrampur to appear in person before the Commission along with the IO on September 27. They have been asked to present complete files pertaining to the case crime No. 348/14 under section 363/366A/376 of IPC and section 18 of POCSO Act as well as case crime no. 432/2014 u/s 376 (2)/506 IPC registered at laliya police station, Balrampur.
The SP, Balrampur has been directed to explain that when the victim in her statement before a magistrate had stated that she was 20 years of age (and her medical examination indicated that she was 19 years of age), and that she had gone with the young man of her own will and married him, then how was section 376 (rape) added to the case and her husband and his father were arrested.