News: Shabnam molested, police freed criminals
Grassroots Media
Shabnam molested, police freed criminals
Hapur, 26 September 2011. The most backward village in Meerut division, Kotla Salehpur, is known for crimes of varied types. Situated in tehsil Hapur of Ghaziabad district, the village Kotla Salehpur has over 95% illiteracy and sheer ignorance about the external world. On the contrary, the crime rate is very high; almost everyday the police visits the village and fetches the money. Yet, the incidences of sexual violence against women are rare in the village.
However, the current incidence of molestation and sexual harrassment of Shabnam (w/o Hamid) by three brothers – Hakumat, Bhure and Khansri (s/o Haroon) in daytime and that too in presence of many villagers is shocking. Happened around 8.30 morning of 24 September 2011, the incidence undertook when Shabnam was going to deposit the monthly instalment in the meeting of self-help group of women. The three brothers wanted to take revenge from her family of a past quarrel. The young men caught her and dragged into their house when she was crossing their home in front of village mosque. They then snatched her earings and money she had for instalment. Quickly they jumped on her tearing off her clothes and molested/harrassed sexually. When Shabnam cried the villagers gathered and saved her from rape; but all three brothers continued abusing her verbally in public.
The victim Shabnam registered complaint with Dhaulana police. Towards evening the police arrested one of the brothers, but freed him within 2 hours allegedly having accepted the bribe of Rs. 50000 from the father of offenders. Helpless victim Shabnam travelled far to Ghaziabad city to meet senior superintendent of police (SSP) on 25 September 2011, but the SSP refused to meet her. She weeps and says, “kamzor aur ghareeb aurat ki izzat koi bhi kahin bhi barbaad kar sakta hai; nyaya dene wale bhi hamari nahin sunte” (the weak and poor woman can be sexually exploited by anyone anywhere; the justice givers also do not listen us).
Telephone Numbers of Police Officer:
1. SSP, Ghaziabad: 0120-2820758, 09454400274
2. SHO, Dhaulana: 09454403410