IMPHAL, May 15: The Judicial Magistrate 1st Class, Imphal has today issued a non-bailable warrant against a Central Reserved Police Force personnel today following an FIR registered against him by the City Police yesterday on charges of allegedly molesting and attempting to rape a 25 year old woman inside the State Bank of India Building, MG Avenue.
The accused has been identified as Constable Ramesh Kumar Yadav of CRPF, 69 Battalion D Company, Mantripukhri presently posted at the bank as security personnel.
Meanwhile, the alleged woman victim also addressed a press conference along with her counsel and members of the Human Rights Law Network at the Manipur Press Conference today.
Speaking at the conference, Advocate L Shivananda said the alleged molestation and attempt to rape happened yesterday morning around 7:30am while the bank was still closed. The CRPF personnel are incidentally posted on the ground floor of the bank as security personnel.
Elaborating on the incident, the woman alleged that while she was attending to her duties on the first floor of the bank, the accused personnel came up to the first floor and after keeping his rifle on a table started speaking to her in a language which the woman failed to understand.
Sensing that the CRPF personnel had something devious on his mind, she tried to walk out of the room, she said and further alleged that soon after she turned her face to leave the room, the personnel caught her by the hand and tried to drag her inside upon which she shouted out.
She continued after she shouted, the accused personnel picked up his weapon and ran away from the spot.
Hearing her shouts and the sounds of running feet, the other co-workers who were in the other floors came to her help, she continued.
She continued that she made a complaint about the incident to an official of the bank who helped her contact the Human Rights Law Network.
Meanwhile, Advocate L Shivananda said that a case was filed with the City Police (FIR No 155 (5) 2013 City PS u/s 354/376/511 IPC) and the accused was brought to the police station for examination.
He continued however that the accused CRPF personnel was however taken away by a CRPF official before examining citing that the commandant of his battalion would like to examine him in connection with the matter.
However, the OC City police and the IO of the case were not informed of the development, he continued before adding that the development was however apprised to the SP, Imphal West and the IG L/O-1.
He continued that upon their notice, the Commandant of the 69th Bn CRPF asked the police higher-ups to send a team of the City police to pick the accused up, following which the OC himself led a team to the SBI MG Avenue on the same day as the alleged molestation and attempted rape at around 6pm.
He continued that the police team after waiting for more than 30 minutes was informed that the accused CRPF personnel will be produced at the Police station within an hour, though he has not been produced till today before the City Police.
Meanwhile, RK Singh, Commandant of the CRPF, Mantripukhri informed the police that the accused constable was available for investigation/interrogation at Battalion Head Quarter, Mantripukhri and the IO or any officer can be deputed any time for any sort of investigation/queries at their Bn. HQ. It was also relayed that it will not be possible to hand over the jawan to the police station without the sanction of a competent authority from the central government since he was on a bonafide official duty at the relevant time and under the protection available to CRPF personnel under Section No 17 of CRPF Act, 1949 and CrPC, 1973; the approval of the competent authority is required.
According to a source, the Judicial Magistrate 1st Class court has observed that “the provisions of Section 197 CrPC deals with the prosecution of Judqes and public servants. The said provision is not attracted in the present matter of effecting arrest of the accused person… and the provisions of Section 17 of The Central Reserve Police Force Act, 1949 is also not applicable in the present case in as much as the alleged offences against the accused person were not done under the powers conferred by, or in pursuance of, any provision of the CRPF Act 1949 or the rules thereunder.”
The IO of the case has stated that the protection is not covered for the allegations against the accused personnel and that the examination of the accused at the CRPF Bn. HQ will not be conducive to proper investigation and finding out of the truth of the matter, the advocate said.
Following all the development, the JMFC court has issued a non-bailable warrant against the accused which is to be executed by the OC, City PS, he said.