UP cop tries to rape woman in police station

He called victim to settle complaint filed by her

The image of the ‘insensitive’ Uttar Pradesh police suffered another dent, when a dalit woman alleged that a police inspector tried to rape her inside the police station, after calling her on the pretext of settling a complaint, that had been filed by a few months back.

Kamta Prasad Awasthi, according to the victim, took her to his official residence within the Mal police station complex and allegedly tried to rape her. Awasthi has now been suspended.

The woman raised an alarm and resisted and in the ensuing scuffle, Awasthi’s shirt was also torn. The woman’s scream alerted other police personnel and passersby, who reached there and rescued her, police sources said. 

Pictures taken afterwards showed the cop without a shirt. Awasthi reportedly locked himself in a room and managed to escape from the spot.

Sources said the woman had lodged a police complaint around nine months back against another woman charging her with assault. The elders of the area had intervened and brokered a compromise between them and the matter had been amicably settled.

As the complaint was still with the police, Awasthi allegedly called her and asked her to come to the police station to ‘settle’ it. The woman alleged that the cop had been threatening her to reopen the case.

The woman said she went to the police station on Wednesday night to meet Awasthi. The cop took her to his residence and tried to rape her.

An enraged mob of locals later laid siege to the police station demanding action against the cop. A case has been registered and the investigation is underway, police said.

Law and order worsens

Citing several recent incidents of crime in which police personnel were allegedly involved in Uttar Pradesh, BJP on Thursday claimed the law and order situation has worsened  and the SP government has lost control over the police administration.

“The manner in which a policeman attempted to molest a woman inside a police station in the state capital yesterday is a blot on the SP government,” BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

He alleged that despite being caught by senior officers, the policeman managed to flee from the spot.“Howcome the accused managed to flee. Action should also be taken against them,” he said.