Punjab: ASI accused of raping 10-year-old, dismissed

Punjab Police on Monday said it has dismissed an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) from service for allegedly attempting to rape a 10-year-old girl in Gurdaspur district.

The accused, Surinder Kumar, allegedly tried to rape the girl in Mahavir Nagar area of Batala on Saturday, a Punjab Police spokesperson said.

The ASI was arrested after a case was filed against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the basis of a complaint lodged by the girl's grandmother at Civil Lines police station on Sunday, he said.

"Subsequently, DGP, Dinkar Gupta, ordered the dismissal of the ASI posted at Sadar police station," the spokesperson said.

The DGP also ordered the Batala police to expedite the investigations for early filing of the charge sheet against the accused, he said.

According to the complaint filed in the case, the girl had come out of her house at around 1 pm to buy something. The accused, who was her neighbour, took the girl to his home and attempted to rape her, the spokesperson said.

He said the ASI was drunk at the time of the incident.