UP Cop Arrested for Raping 13-Year-Old Survivor Who Went to File Gang-Rape Case

All cops posted at the police station where the sexual assault was perpetrated have been removed from duty.

Lalitpur Station House Officer Tilakdhari Saroj was arrested on Wednesday, 4 May, for allegedly raping a teenaged girl who had gone to the police station in Uttar Pradesh to register a complaint against gang rape.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

(Trigger warning: Descriptions of rape. Reader discretion advised.)

Video Producer: Shohini Bose

Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam

Lalitpur Station House Officer Tilakdhari Saroj was arrested on Wednesday, 4 May, for allegedly raping a teenage girl who had gone to the police station in Uttar Pradesh to register a complaint against gang rape.

A criminal case had previously been filed against the accused, who had been absconding since he was suspended. Saroj was later arrested from Prayagraj.

"A minor has alleged being raped by four boys on April 22. When she was brought to the police station, the SHO raped her as well. Case has been registered against six accused including SHO. One accused caught, SHO suspended," Lalitpur SP Nikhil Pathak was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

All cops posted at the police station where the sexual assault was perpetrated have reportedly been removed from duty.

What Happened?

A 13-year-old Dalit gang rape survivor was allegedly raped again by the accused SHO in Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur district. The incident took place when the survivor had gone to the police station to register a complaint against gang rape.

The teenager was allegedly kidnapped and raped by four men on 22 April in Bhopal. The accused had then dropped the minor outside the police station in her village, before escaping.

According to the FIR, accused SHO Saroj handed over the survivor to her aunt, adding that she was called into the police station next day. When the complainant arrived to record her statement, the official allegedly raped her inside a room in the station.

The survivor was handed over to an NGO ChildLine, where she narrated the incident. The team then reached out to the Superintendent of Police Nikhil Pathak about the crime.

Pathak said that they have charged the official for rape under the stringent POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.

Three other accused have been arrested. The FIR further stated that her aunt was present when the incident took place, and named her as an accused in the case.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director-general of police, seeking a report on the incident within four weeks.

'Law & Order Supressed by Noise of Bulldozers': Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi took to Twitter to condemn the incident, and wrote:

"The gang rape of a 13-year-old girl in Lalitpur and then her rape by the police in-charge when she went to file a complaint shows how genuine law and order reforms are being suppressed in the noise of "bulldozers". If police stations are not safe for women, then where will they go to take complaints?"