UP: After Struggling for 10 Days to Get an FIR Registered, Dalit Rape Victim Repeatedly Denied Medical Examination (Mooknayak)

By Satya Prakash Bharti

Prayagraj: Shedding light on the attitude of the Uttar Pradesh Police towards women who are survivors of sexual violence, a Dalit girl victim had to struggle for 10 days to get cops to register a first information report (FIR) — forget about an investigation into the incident.

Such delayed registration of FIRs result in slimmer chances of action against the accused. Let alone conducting a fair probe into the allegation leveled, the police even “humiliated”, “discouraged” and “harassed” the woman.

Despite an extensive and well-defined Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) being in place to deal with cases of sexual assault, the victim is ironically forced to visit the district hospital for medical treatment.

The SOP states that as soon as information about such an offence is received, an FIR “shall be recorded in accordance with the provisions of Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.PC.) by a woman officer with greatest care and caution — incorporating all facts that are directly or indirectly connected to the crime”.

The story was published on Mooknayak

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