Assam: SI Detained In Karimganj For "Indecent" Conversation With Rape Victim

GUWAHATI: GUWAHATI: The second OC and SI of Ramakrishna Nagar police station in Karimganj district have been detained by Assam Police on suspicion of engaging in an inappropriate phone conversation with a Pocso case victim.

He was the officer in charge of the investigation. The victim's relatives complained to SP (Karimganj) Padmanabh Baruah about the SI, who was later identified as Dhirendra Nath, on Tuesday.

According to a source, the SP (Karimganj) summoned the man from Ramakrishna Nagar to the district office and ordered his detention in accordance with the Pocso Act.

"We got a complaint from the victim girl's guardian against the said police official who was having an inappropriate conversation with her. We got the proof and registered a case against the officer. He was arrested on Tuesday in accordance with the law," Baruah said.

According to the SP, the SI had been in contact with the victim girl for the previous two to three weeks. As per sources, the victim's identity has not been disclosed in order to respect her privacy and in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines on cases involving sexual assault.

Neoteric incidents of rape have muddled the conscience of the nation. The year 2016 recorded over 118,537 episodes of pending rape cases at the courts all over India. Consequently, the ongoing cases went up to 133,813, an escalation of 12.5%, by the end of the year.

More such brutish incidents are being reported almost on an everyday basis in Northeast India. As per the 2022 reports produced by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Assam recorded 1,835 cases of rape in 2021 as opposed to 1,658 cases in 2020. In 2021, there were 563 attempted rapes and 4,511 assaults with the purpose to offend modesty.

According to the data released by NCRB, the state of Assam has been reported to have the highest rate of crimes against women among all states and union territories for the last three consecutive years. The crime statistics, particularly those on assault, suffer from under-reporting.

Assam tops the list of sexual violence against women in the past 20 years. According to an NCRB report, Assam was in the second position with 27 cases of rape overall, in 2017.

Also read: Assam Records Highest Maternal Mortality Ratio In Country

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