Mangaluru: Members of the Catholic Sabha Mangaluru Pradesh on Saturday, submitted a memorandum to Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Vikash Kumar to take stringent action against the officer who recently assaulted a minor girl at the Bajpe police station.
In the memorandum, the girl’s father stated that she was assaulted by a police officer on November 3. He alleged that his daughter was verbally abused and hit with a lathi (stick) instead of probing her harasser.
Explaining the incident in the memorandum, the father said that a youth from Moodbidri made friends with his daughter on Facebook, after which he began to harass her, trying to get her to marry him. When she girl informed her parents of the same, they requested the man to stop harassing their daughter as she is a minor. But, the youth, along with members from other organisations threatened them, stating that they would burn down their house.
Concerned for their safety, the father headed to the Bajpe Police Station to file a complaint. While the police behaved with them in a civil manner on the first day, the next day, when the youth appeared before the police with his lawyer, the police used foul language against the girl and assaulted her with a lathi.
“My daughter is now unable to walk because of the beating. She had to be admitted to the Wenlock Hospital for treatment,” the father explained in the memorandum.
Submitting the memorandum to the Police Commissioner, the members of the Catholic Sabha urged him to take stringent action against the harasser and arrest him under the POCSO Act. They also urged the compol to take action against the officer who assaulted the girl.
Commissioner Vikash assured the members that the incident would be probed and that action would be taken against the guilty parties.
Catholic Sabha Mangaluru Pradesh president Paul Rolphy D’Costa, former MLA J R Lobo, former MLC Ivan D’Souza, Mahila Congress President Shalet Pinto, MCC Corporator Vinayraj, Mangaluru Block Congress North Zone president Vishwas Das, Victor Correa, Alwyn D’Souza, Stany Alvares, John Monteiro and Stany Bantwal were present.
