15-year-old girl's molestation case: Accused SHO suspended in Kanpur

A Station House Officer (SHO) in Kanpur Dehat district ofUttar Pradesh has been suspended following a complaint of molestation againsthim by a 15-year-old girl who tried to commit suicide, an official said onThursday.

The incident came to light three days ago when the girl, who was allegedlymolested by Vinod Kumar, SHO, Rajpur, attempted to take the extreme step byconsuming pesticide.

"An FIR has also been registered against Kumar, who has been attached withthe reserve police lines," Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) KeshavKumar Choudhary said.

The FIR was lodged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) andthe Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Circle Officer, Akbarpur, Arun Kumar Singh has been asked to probe the chargesand take action against the SHO accordingly, the SP said. The SHO was primafacie found guilty during a joint inquiry conducted by Deputy Superintendent ofPolice Tanu Upadhyay and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Rasoolabad) Anju Verma.

The girl alleged that she was molested by Kumar when she was called forquestioning at the Rajpur police station on Monday after one of her distantrelatives, who is in the Army, filed a complaint accusing her of blackmail, theSP said.

The girl attempted to commit suicide hours after reaching home the same day. Sheis undergoing treatment at the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital and is stated tobe stable.