Gang-rape victim's father kills self over UP police's inaction, 2 suspended

A man hanged himself allegedly over the delay by the police in probing the gang-rape of his 15-year-old daughter. A station house officer and another policeman were suspended on Tuesday, the police said.

The victim's family alleged that the police did not take timely action on his complaint following which the 35-year-old man hanged himself from a tree in a village in Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday.

On March 28, the minor girl was allegedly raped by Golu (30) and Devendra (32) on the pretext of taking her to a birthday party in area under Ait police station limits.

The teen managed to escape and later narrated the ordeal to her family, the police said.

The girl's parents worked as street vendors in Punjab and upon returning to Jalaun on May 31, they lodged a complaint against the two men at the police station with Ait SHO Narendra Kumar Gautam and sub-inspector Ashok Kumar.

The rape victim's mother alleged the officers did not take any action on their complaint and instead exerted pressure on the girl's father to end the case.

She said that they then approached the superintendent of police Iraj Raja who asked them to go back to Ait police station.

The family, instead of going back to the police station, lodged a complaint on the chief minister's 'jansunvaai' portal on Saturday evening, following which the SP took cognisance of it and directed that action be initiated against the SHO.

However, the anguished father committed suicide the next day over the delay in action by the police in the case.

The SP directed circle officer Konch Shailendra Kumar Bajpai to probe both cases. Prima facie, the allegations levelled by the girl's mother were found to be true and the two policemen were suspended.

The SP added that stringent action will be initiated against the two officers after the probe report comes.