Police flayed over its role in rape case
The Delhi Police on Saturday faced sharp attack by the BJP and social activists after a news channel telecast the interview of 23-year-old rape victim’s male friend.
While the BJP denounced the police action of registering an FIR against the news channel, activist and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi and National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Mamta Sharma sought action against those policemen who argued over jurisdiction issue before registering the FIR after the incident on December 16.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, however, refused to make any comment on the issue.
“I would not like to comment on the issue. I will comment only after I get a detailed report on it,” he told reporters in Surat.
Senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised the police for their decision to register FIR against the news channel for telecasting the interview of the main eye-witness.
“The Delhi Police cannot muzzle the voice of the citizen by lodging a case against the channel. People have the right to know the truth,” Swaraj said on Twitter. Prasad said that such behaviour from the police was unacceptable. “This is an attack on the freedom of the press,” he said.
Other MPs Smriti Irani and Ram Jethmalani demanded removal of the Delhi police chief.
Bedi said that there was no law that bars police from registering FIR. It could be registered at one station and then transferred.
NCW chairperson Sharma, on her part, sought strict action against the policemen and demanded registration of an FIR against them for dereliction of duty.
“Two people were lying on the ground. Even on grounds of humanity, they should have been taken to hospital. But the police did not do that,” she said.
