Dubai: A 35-year-old police officer has allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl inside the toilet of government quarters in Dehradun district from the Indian state of Uttarakhand on Sunday. He was arrested on Monday evening, and social media users were upset by the fact that the vulnerable are being attacked by those entrusted to protect them.
A Facebook user Preetam commented: "Those who are supposed to protect us from the crime are doing such a hideous act. How can we trust them?"
Reportedly, the survivor's father is visually impaired while her mother, who lodged a complaint is a person of determination.
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The accused police officer has been identified as Sanjiv Jagudi who was currently deployed at the Uttarakhand state police's 112 emergency helpline centre in Dehradun.
Talking to media sources, a senior police official, Sekhar Chand Suyal said: "The family and the accused, both live in the same complex of government quarters. On Sunday afternoon, her daughter had gone to the washroom. When the girl didn't return after some time, she went to check. She called her several times, but there was no answer with the door closed from inside. Suddenly, Jugadi opened the door from inside and escaped.
He added: "When the woman entered the toilet, she saw her daughter in an unconscious state. She then took the girl home and called the neighbours. One of the neighbours called the police, who rushed to the spot and took the girl to a hospital. Later in the evening, her mother lodged a complaint."
According to news sources, Jugadi has been booked for rape under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 5/6 of POCSO Act.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012 was established to protect the children against offences like sexual abuse, sexual harassment and pornography. It was formed to provide a child-friendly system for trial under which the perpetrators could be punished.
Another Facebook user Shivaprasad commented: “It’s a shame that we can’t trust anyone. Our judiciary should be more effective. India’s judiciary is facing an increasing lack of trust by the public.”
Superintendent of police Dehradun (city) Shweta Chaubey said: "The accused had come on attachment to the radio department of 112 state emergency helpline centre in Dehradun from Rudraprayag district about two years ago. A departmental action would soon be taken against him by the police headquarters also. As far as the girl is concerned, she is at present in a stable condition at her home."
