Woman cop molested, beaten in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: In a major embarrassment for city police—which claims that women are extremely safe on city streets—a forty-year-old woman head constable deployed in the

Bapunagar

police station jurisdiction was molested at 9.45pm on Friday, near Soneriya Block in Bapunagar. One of the accused later also beat her with a stick.

All four accused — including the prime accused, Shahrukh Pathan—were arrested that very night. However, the incident has left city police red faced.

Inspector Vijay Jadeja of Bapunagar police station said that while the incident certainly raised a question mark on their claims, the woman head constable was in plain clothes and the accused would not have known that she was a cop. Jadeja hence implied that such incidents could be expected if a woman was not a cop or a woman cop was not in uniform.

According to the complaint lodged by the policewoman, while she was returning home from duty on Friday night at about 9.45pm, a youth on a motorcycle followed her and said: “ Tum bahot acchi lagti ho, apna dupatta to hatao (You are very beautiful, remove your dupatta).” The constable first ignored him and sped away but the youth, later found to be Shahrukh Pathan, followed her and kept making indecent gestures at her. “With no option, the woman stopped her scooter near Satydevnagar. Pathan also stopped his bike and touched the woman constable inappropriately. The constable immediately phoned her colleagues, who rushed to spot,” said Inspector Jadeja.

Soon, three other youths — Vishal Patni, Prakash Patni and Nilesh Patni, friends of Pathan — arrived and confronted the cops who had already got hold of Pathan.

“Soon more people gathered at the spot. In the commotion, Vishal Patni hit the woman head constable with a stick and fled along with Prakash Patni,” added a police source. Police officials said while Pathan immediately taken to the police station, another team arrested Vishal and Prakash. “The case has been transferred to the SC/ ST cell and the accused have been handed over to them. We have beefed up patrolling in the area so that such incidents do not recur,” added Inspector Jadeja.