Punjab cops beating harassed woman caught on camera

Jalandhar, March 4: A woman who complained of sexual harassment by truck drivers was beaten up by several personnel of the Punjab

in Taran Taran and the act was caught on camera on Sunday. The horror heaped on the woman was initially denied by the local police station chief but admitted to the incident after he was shown the clipping , broadcast on the electronic media.

The woman was harassed by truck drivers on the highway while she was going home. She went home and told her father and brother, who rushed to the spot. But the truck drivers proved too much for the family and tried to beat them up.
When the woman's father approached the police for help, the policemen instead assaulted him. When the woman intervened, she too was beaten up.

The incident dents the feeling that India was on the path of change over its attitude towards woman, even as the world observes Woman Day week. The International Working Women's Day is marked on March 8.

The JS Verma panel set up after the Delhi rape and murder in December last had sought number of police reforms.
It had asked "institute a Police Complaints Authority at district level to look into complaints against police officers who do not register complaints of gender crimes. Police who fail to register complaints or abort an investigation should be punished. This will provide more police accountability, said the commission - All police stations should have CCTV to ensure proper procedures are being followed in handling, recording and filing complaints - Provide appropriate technical equipment and training to police to ensure the highest standards of investigation of forensic evidence for sexual assault crimes - Separate police investigating gender crimes from law and order police to ensure speedier investigation, better expertise and improved rapport with the public - Increase the number of female police on patrol and on duty in police stations so that women feel comfortable filing sexual assault complaints."

In fact, the last month, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had said that the Punjab had a kind of the " rape culture" in the state.

While passing an order on the rape case the court had slammed the Punjab government for its attitude towards the rehabilitation of rape victims.

OneIndia News