Mumbai: 26-year-old Manipuri woman molested; police delay in filing FIR

A 26-year-old Manipuri girl was allegedly molested, kicked and dragged by her hair in the Santacruz area of Mumbai on Saturday. However, the police reportedly failed to file an FIR initially and finally did so only several days when the incident was reported in the media. 

According to a Mid-day report, the victim had on Saturday stepped out with her friend around 6.30 pm, when she was accosted by an unknown man near the Palm Villa society. He first spat at her, and when she objected, he began to allegedly beat her up. The report said that the victim found no sympathy from onlookers and even the police preferred to merely register a non-cognisable offence (NC).

“He hit me, then kicked me in the abdomen. When I tried to resist, he molested me and tore my clothes. He began to hit me again, and I fell down. Then he grabbed my hair and dragged me by it on the street for a few metres,” the victim told Mid-Day.

The victim said she was in a traumatic state but still narrated all the details to on-duty Sub-Inspector Sanjay Pawar, requesting him to file an FIR. However, he just gave her a copy of the complaint (which did not describe the crime in detail) and asked her to go home, she alleges. "He told me that police would catch the culprit soon and added that if anything happened again, I should go to the police station with the complaint copy,” she told the daily. However, Pawar has been quoted by the daily claiming that the victim had blown the incident out of proportion. "The facts in her complaint would not have been fit for an FIR, hence, an NC was lodged," he told Mid-Day.

The victim's sister says that they are often discriminated against because of their North-East features. "My sister is in trauma right now. The culprits should be punished," she told ANI.

After the media reported the incident on Wednesday, the police finally recorded the girl’s statement and registered an FIR in the case.

"A team of women police officials visited the girl’s home in Santacruz yesterday evening and recorded a detailed statement. A case under Indian Penal Code Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult), was registered," reported the daily.