Noida:
Police handling of an alleged case of gangrape, that of a minor in Noida close to the national capital, has caused much outrage. The 17-year-old Class X student was allegedly raped by five men in a car at midnight last week, and the Noida police compounded the child's trauma by revealing her identity. Not just that, a senior police officer suggested that the victim had accompanied the accused willingly and "drank vodka with them."
Under pressure from several quarters, among them Women and Child Welfare Minister Krishna Tirath, the UP administration has said it will take action against Noida Superintendent of Police Ananth Dev Tiwari.
The victim has said in a police FIR that she knew one of the accused. She met him and the four others at a birthday party on Saturday. She also said that she was forced to drink. Then, the five men, while dropping her back, close to midnight, allegedly took her to a deserted area and then took turns to rape the Class X student.
The police have arrested all the five men that the girl has accused of rape. It was while briefing the press about the incident and their investigations on Sunday that the Noida police printed the victim's name for circulation and publish and SP Ananth Dev Tiwari, said publically, "She had gone there willingly... She was not lured into it... They drank vodka."
This is in direct contravention of Supreme Court directions. The court has observed that no judgement in rape cases should name the victim, and there are court directions which say that the victim's statement should be taken at face value till a trial proves otherwise.
A livid National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has slammed the police for the insensitive way in which the case has been handled. Minister Krishna Tirath said she had written to the UP Chief Secretary and the Uttar Pradesh administration has swung into damage control mode. Additional Director-General of Police, law and order, Subesh Kumar said later in the day, "I have spoken to IG Meerut range and asked him to give a detailed report. We need to look into what circumstances these remarks were made under." He admitted that "looking at the sensitivity, as a matter of principle we don't reveal the identity of the victim."
The IG Meerut, Rajeev Krishna, too said the law was clear on this. "According to the Supreme Court laws, which are very clear, one cannot disclose the name of the victim or their family. In this case, if this law hasn't been followed, we will take strict action. I have asked for a report from the SSP of Gautam Budh Nagar. We will investigate and take action after looking into all the facts," he said.