Dear Gurgaon Police, We’re Still Waiting for the Lady Cop’s Name

An open letter to the Gurgaon Police about the Saudi diplomat rape case.

Dear Gurgaon Police,

We know this, like every other week, has been a very hectic one for you. You have murders, kidnappings, rapes, burglaries, thefts and all sorts of mundane and extraordinary crimes to deal with, and you are undoubtedly under-staffed.

Despite what you might think, we understand the pressures that you may be under.

But, it is quite extraordinary that you still have not told us the name of the lady officer you say was present at the time the FIR was registered in the alleged rape of two Nepalese women by a Saudi diplomat.

To refresh your memory, we reported on Wednesday, September 16, that you did not follow due procedure while registering the rape FIR. Guidelines require that a lady officer should record the statement of a rape survivor.

Not just that, we reported that the language in the FIR was unnecessarily explicit. Imagine how difficult it would have been for the rape survivors to describe their ordeal to a male officer.

A day after we reported the story, you accused us of misreporting. You said the FIR was recorded by a Sub Inspector who is a lady officer.

When we pointed out that the FIR document does not bear the name of the lady officer, you remained silent.

This is confusing. Your silence is not helping matters. And we don’t know whether to believe your statement or the FIR which is a legal document.

You might say that we are making a big deal out of this. But we’re only reporting a procedural violation which many legal luminaries say you should be hauled up for.

And by reporting this violation, we’re making a larger point – the criminal justice system in India is not geared to offer succour to women who’re looking for protection and justice – and ensuring that a lady officer is present during the recording of an FIR is a small but important step that is needed.

The police has the responsibility to maintain law and order in the society. Similarly, the media, which is considered to be the fourth pillar of society, is responsible for creating public awareness. So we hope that we get answers to our questions soon.

Best wishes,

The Quint