Bengaluru: PSI accused of ‘groping’ woman at police station

A woman has accused a sub-inspector of groping her when she went to the police station to give a witness statement in a dowry harassment case. He took her number and sent her WhatsApp messages at odd hours, she alleged.

Late on Monday night, the woman posted a series of tweets, stating that Manjunathaswamy B C, posted at the Suddaguntepalya police station, touched her inappropriately on April 8.

She stated that she had gone to the station to give a witness statement in a divorce case of her friend’s brother. Manjunathaswamy was initially friendly but his true colours emerged and things got extremely uncomfortable. He started flirting. He held her hands and caressed them. She felt dreaded but wanted to get the statement over and done with, she said.

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The policeman asked her to take his number and call him. He again caressed her hands. He had to go out for a few minutes as someone called him. While leaving the cabin, he held her hip and touched her back. She was shocked but helpless. Though she wanted to walk into the police inspector’s cabin, she froze. She walked out of his cabin as her mother called her.

Manjunathaswamy didn’t record her statement and asked her to come when he called her. He asked her to send him pictures. Late at night, he initiated a conversation with her on WhatsApp. She felt terrible and low because all this happened to her at the station.

Senior officials took note of the tweets. They contacted her and took a complaint from her. Police are yet to register an FIR against Manjunathaswamy.

Meanwhile, the woman said she was forced to delete the tweets by her family and church members on Tuesday.

C K Baba, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast), said: “The woman gave a written complaint on Tuesday evening and action has been initiated.”

The woman is expected to go to the police station on Wednesday and file a complaint. Police will register an FIR only after she gives a complaint at the station.

Speaking to DH, Manjunathaswamy said the woman’s allegations were false. He denied misbehaving with her. Senior officials have already begun investigating and the truth will come out, he added.