In a major development in Phillaur SHO Bhushan Kumar case, Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued orders to file FIR against DSP Phillaur as well. The Child Rights body has ordered to file a case against Phillaur DSP Sarwan Singh Bal and also invoke the POCSO Act.
Hence, orders have been issued to file a case against him within a month. The DSP has been accused of protecting former SHO Phillaur Bhushan Kumar who is has been under POSCO.
The police station was under his supervision, and he did not file a case against the SHO. Therefore, a case under the POCSO Act should be filed against him as well.
For the unversed, SHO Bhushan Kumar, the suspended Phillaur station house officer (SHO), who first booked for alleged inappropriate behaviour and making sexual advances towards the mother of a minor rape victim. Thereafter, POCSO Act was also invoked.
The case was initially registered on October 14 under Section 74(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures), Section 67(d) of the Punjab Police Act (sexual harassment in the course of duty), and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act at the Phillaur police station.
The rape victim's family has also alleged that the SHO refused to file the FIR and discouraged the medical examination, insisting that “no sexual assault had occurred”.
An audio of the SHO was then played in the media. Following that Punjab Women Commission took Suo Motu Cognisance of Phillaur SHO Case.
Complainants submitted recordings to the Commission, which were found to contain highly objectionable material. After listening to them, the Chairperson directed the police to produce all CCTV footage of interactions between the SHO and the complainants to determine whether his claim of a “compromise discussion” in a rape case held any truth.
During the hearing, the SHO maintained that the conversations were related to negotiations between both parties in a rape case, which caused a delay in filing the FIR.
