annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Delhi
Jawalapuri in Paschim Vihar. Somebody
called up the police control room and the
boys were taken to the Paschim Vihar
police station. Jeetu’s father, who washes
utensils with some dhaba, roadside
restaurant, was called to the police station
at about 3.30 p.m. Head constable, Inder
Singh allegedly demanded Rs 5,000 for
releasing the boy. When Jeetu’s parents
could not pay the money a fabricated case
was allegedly registered against Jeetu. He
was allegedly shown as a ‘major’ in the
police records and sent to Tihar Jail by
Inder Singh for not getting the amount of
bribe he sought from the boy’s parents. 29
At around 11.45 p m on 27 December
2004, an activist of the Action Aid, S.K.
Ravi, was assaulted by a policeman in civil
dress for demanding to reveal his identity
before subjecting him to unwarranted
questioning. Ravi was returning to his
house on foot from his friend’s house in a
nearby area. A motorcycle-borne policeman
in civil dress intercepted him and started
questioning as to what was he doing so late
in the night. 30
IV. Violence against women
A woman was reportedly raped in
Delhi every 24 hours in the first half of
2004. 31 The law enforcement personnel
were also responsible for violence against
women.
On the evening of 27 May 2004, four
Railway Protection Force (RPF)
constables allegedly raped a 35-year-old
woman at the railway quarters in Daya
Basti near Sarai Rohilla, North Delhi. In
her complaint to the police the woman
alleged that her house owner, constable
Jahan Singh, took her to another quarter
around 5.30 pm in the adjacent block for
showing it to her. Constables Tejpal,
Karamveer and Harshveer were allegedly
present there and drinking. She alleged
that when she turned back, they caught
hold of her and took turns to rape her. 32
At about 10 p.m. on 22 July 2004,
Prem Singh Bajwa, a beat constable posted
with the Dilshad Garden police station
reportedly forced his way into the nurses’
hostel number 11 of Institute of Human
Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS),
Shahdara in East Delhi and allegedly
misbehaved with the inmates. He
reportedly made lewd comments and
attempted to molest some of the nurses. 33
On 23 December 2004, a 32-year-old
woman of Kalkaji in south Delhi who runs
a boutique alleged that a Delhi police
constable Birendra Kumar had raped her
some time back. A case was registered
against the constable. 34
Rekha Kaul, staff of Communication
Department at the police headquarters
allegedly assaulted and tortured her
domestic helper, a 12-year-old girl from
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. According to
the police, Kaul was forcing the girl into
prostitution. She was allegedly assaulted
with hot iron rods and chilli powder
thrown into her eyes. There were over 20
injury marks on the body of the victim. A
child helpline and Salaam Balak Trust got
a case registered under the Juvenile Justice
Act on 20 February 2004. 35
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