In a letter to Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma and state Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, the woman civic volunteer wrote: “…on 04.10.24, I was performing my duty from 21:00 hrs. While I was on duty, the said (S-I) officer called me through his guard at his restroom, which is situated on the third floor of the… police station at about 01.10 am… on 5th October 2024.”
“When I went to his restroom, he gave me a new salwar suit as a Puja gift. While I was receiving the gift, he started to touch me inappropriately… while I opposed… he tried to exert force… The duty officer… ignored the seriousness of the complaint and tried to verbally console me to let it go,” she wrote in the letter dated October 5, 2024.
She then wrote: “After some time, I called my younger brother to the police station… he arrived within 15- 20 minutes and wanted to lodge a general diary about the said incident. The duty officer refused to lodge the complaint and instead, he tried to settle the matter at the police station… advising me to ignore the incident and move on. Then… my uncle was informed… He took me immediately to the Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital for treatment…”
According to the woman, who has been a civic volunteer since 2017, the accused police officer had made “a similar advance” on September 25 this year. “…the same said officer was in a drunken state and had made a similar advance on me in the computer room of the police station… I immediately informed the guard on WhatsApp, and I overlooked the matter without informing my family,” she wrote.
“In the above circumstances, I would like to inform you that I am currently in a very disturbed mental state and I fear for my life and self-respect. Hence, I am feeling unsecure and will not attend any duty henceforth till further communication and assurance by higher authorities… It is my moral duty to lodge a complaint against the said officer for his behaviour with the junior staff. Kindly treat this letter of complaint as an FIR, and take necessary legal action against the said person,” the woman civic volunteer added.
After the letter went viral, the police registered an FIR against the accused sub-inspector on Sunday. The S-I has been booked under Section 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Sources said that the officer has not been arrested. He has, however, been pulled out of duty.
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