Phillaur ex-SHO booked in sexual harassment case
Days after a viral audio/video and a sexual harassment complaint by the mother of a rape victim against a former SHO, Phillaur, Bhushan Kumar, the officer has been booked by the Jalandhar rural police.
A case has been registered against him on October 14 under Sections 75 (1) (sexual harassment) of the BNS, 67(D) of the Police Act and 67 of the IT Act at the Phillaur police station.
While the sexual harassment allegations and the relentless campaign against the SHO have snowballed into a major issue, it has landed not just the SHO, but also the Jalandhar police in a tight spot. The SHO was transferred, then suspended. Taking cognizance of the matter, the Punjab State Women Commission also directed the Jalandhar Rural SSP Harvinder Singh Virk to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
Meanwhile, more women victims also came to the fore making sexual harassment complaints.
An audio clip of an alleged conversation between the SHO and the minor rape victim’s mother – where in the SHO can be heard asking her to meet him alone – went viral on social media, drawing widespread condemnation.
Speaking on the fresh FIR, DSP Phillaur, Navneet Singh Bal said Bhushan Kumar made a call to an unidentified number from his official phone number. The DSP said, in this conversation, the SHO can be heard asking a woman to meet him alone and can be heard speaking in objectionable language to her.
The DSP added that following the first clip, another audio clip went viral in which the SHO can be heard speaking the same manner to another woman.
The DSP further said Bhushan Kumar was deputed at an important post until October 6.
The DSP said the misuse of this important official position by the SHO and calling and harassing woman with bad intentions while deputed on government duty, including use of audio/video calls and the subsequent viral status of these videos, has tarnished the image of the police department. Hence, a case has been registered against him at the Phillaur police station.
Meanwhile, farmers, labourers, social and religious organisations and village panches and sarpanches have announced to stand firm with the girls who have been a victim of Bhushan Kumar. A meeting of various organisations was held in Phillaur today, in which his immediate arrest was demanded.
The leaders said the struggle will continue until justice is delivered to the aggrieved women and action is taken against the cop. They also demanded the imposition of the POCSO Act in the case. A meeting was also announced in Phillaur, bringing together all big organisations of Punjab, and announcing a struggle for which public mobilisation will be done.
Jalandhar