Kolkata police SI arrested for sexual harassment of civic volunteer, gets bail

KOLKATA: A sub-inspector posted at Kolkata’s Park Street police station was arrested on Monday on charges of sexual harassment of a civic volunteer in the building on September 25 and October 5, people familiar with the matter said.
The officer, identified as Abhishek Roy, was suspended and placed under arrest on Monday following the woman‘s complaint against him to senior officers, a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.
According to the woman’s complaint, Roy was drunk on both occasions which took place at the police station past midnight.
HT has seen a copy of the complaint.
A Bankshall court later granted bail to the sub-inspector who alleged that he was being framed.
The police officer cited above said the woman complained about the sexual harassment via email to the home secretary and four police officers including the Kolkata police commissioner after Roy misbehaved again on October 5.
“Roy was told not to leave Park Street police station and an inquiry was initiated,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.
The woman, who was recruited as a civic volunteer in 2017, alleged in her complaint that Roy touched her inappropriately in the computer room at 1.30am on September 25.
“….I overlooked the matter and did not inform my family,” she said in her complaint, pointing that she did inform a colleague about the incident over WhatsApp.
On October 5, Roy summoned her to his restroom on the third floor of the building at 1.10 am.
“When I went to his restroom, he gave me a new salwar suit as a puja gift. While I was receiving the gift, he started to touch me inappropriately………” the woman said, adding that the police officer used force when she resisted.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promptly attacked chief minister Mamata Banerjee, claiming that there was an attempt to suppress the crime and the orders came from the top.
“A civic volunteer was molested inside a police station and a sub-inspector has been arrested. In this case, too, orders to suppress the crime came from the top,” Majumdar said.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed the allegation. “In the Park Street incident, the police arrested the accused without wasting any time. The BJP’s charges are baseless.”