Police try to 'buy' Tarn Taran victim

Officer offers her Rs 5L to settle case

The Dalit woman from Tarn Taran in Punjab, who was thrashed with a baton and slapped mercilessly in full public glare by policemen on March 3, has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court claiming police had been putting pressure on them to reach a compromise in the case.

The incident was caught on camera and invited the wrath of the Supreme Court. A bench of the apex court comprising Justice G S Singhvi and Justice Kurien Joseph had asked the Punjab DGP to file an affidavit detailing action taken against the policemen for beating the woman in Tarn Taran.

Police had arrested the two officers involved in the case on 11 March.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday observed that a senior superintendent of police or any other officer of the Punjab Police will not approach the victim, and ordered the government to transfer all the seven policemen, who had thrashed her, within a day.
In a three-page order, the court said the inspector general of police, Amritsar range, will ensure that the SSP or any other police officer won’t approach the victim or her family members for any purpose.

It also directed to provide protection to the victim and her family by a security agency other than Punjab Police.

The victim and her family members had moved court seeking action against the policemen for outraging her modesty and threatening to withdraw her complaint.

“Police cannot be allowed to act in this high-handed way. Once the Supreme Court has taken notice of the incident, the action by police is interference in the cause of justice. First, police have acted in a barbaric manner. Now, they have made the life of the petitioner miserable. Police officers cannot be permitted to behave in this manner,” said Justice Ranjit Singh of the High Court.

The judge said since the allegations are being made against the SSP, Tarn Taran, who is alleged to have made an offer of Rs 5 lakh to settle the matter, it will be appropriate to issue direction to a senior officer to ensure protection and compliance of the order.