Two ex-policemen get life imprisonment in nearly three-decade-old case of molestation, rape

A court here on Monday sentenced two former police personnel to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs one lakh in a nearly three-decade-old case of molestation and rape, according to a statement by the CBI.

The two convicts -- Milap Singh and Virender Pratap -- were police personnel belonging to the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC).

The Uttarakhand Sangharsh Samiti had organised a rally at Red Fort in Delhi on October 2, 1994, and people from hill areas were arriving in the city in buses to participate in it.

''The UP government had made elaborate security arrangements by deploying police force at different places to check the rallyists. When the rallyists reached near Rampur Tiraha, Muzaffarnagar, on the night of October 1-2, 1994, they were restrained by the police and taken into custody. A total of 345 rallyists were detained and among them 47 were women,'' the CBI statement said.

It was alleged some of the detained female rallyists were molested and raped, the probe agency said.

A writ petition was later filed by the Uttarakhand Sangharsh Samiti before the Allahabad High Court. In pursuance of high court order dated October 7, 1994, the CBI conducted a preliminary enquiry.

Based on the preliminary enquiry report submitted by the CBI, the court directed the federal probe agency to register an FIR.

Accordingly, CBI registered a case on January 25, 1995, based on allegations that a bus carrying the rallyists was stopped at Rampur Tiraha, the vehicle's windscreen, headlights and window panes were smashed, and the police personnel deployed there hurled abuses at the rallyists, the statement said ''It was also alleged that both the police personnel belonging to PAC had entered the bus and committed crimes, including molestation and rape,'' it added.

The CBI filed a charge sheet on March 21, 1996, and the trial was initiated.

''The trial court found both the accused guilty and sentenced them accordingly,'' the statement said, adding that the duo were convicted by the court here on March 15, 2024, and the sentence was pronounced on Monday.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)