Dindoshi gang rape: Cops who mocked survivor suspended

Two police officers attached to the Dindoshi police station weresuspended yesterday for negligence of duty in connection with the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl earlier this month. Following a departmental inquiry, it came to light that the duo had shirked their responsibilities when the survivor had first approached the police station to lodge a sexual harassment complaint on November 2.

Crime most foul: Three of the sixu00a0men accused ofu00a0gang-raping the minor on November 1 were arrested three days later, while the remaining were nabbed after 10u00a0days. File Pic

Sadanand Date, joint commissioner of police (law and order), said, "The police commissioner has placed sub-inspector D Dashime and inspector Bharat Gaikwad of the Dindoshi police under suspension for negligence of duty in connection with the Dindoshi gang rape."

The incident had taken place on the night of November 1 when two of the six accused in the case called the survivor to MHADA bridge to celebrate Diwali, after which four of them took turns to rape her.u00a0The survivor knew the six accused for the past two years and she resides in the same locality as theirs.

The Dindoshi police registered an FIR only on November 3, and had arrested the three accused - Wasim Hafeez Sayyed (23), Surya Selvan Pillai (19) and Kalwa Badolal Vishwakarma (19) -- from Diva in Thane district on November 5. The remaining three, all minors, were arrested from Sakinaka, around 10 days after the crime.

"Acting upon the delay in filing a complaint, zonal deputy police commissioner Pravin Patil had ordered a departmental inquiry against the two officers for their alleged indifference towards the survivor. The girl had alleged that when she approached the police station after the incident, the police officers mocked her and asked her if she was a drug addict or alcoholic," said a senior police official on the condition of anonymity.

After the inquiry was initiated, the investigation of the case was handed over to inspector Dilip Yadav from the Dindoshi police. Dashime was the investigating officer of the case initially. DCP Pravin Patil had recommended suspension for Dashime and Gaikwad.

The survivor and her family had given a written application to the DCP, alleging that the officers threatened her and made her leave after filing a non-cognisable complaint.u00a0