The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday blasted Delhi Police for allegedly causing trauma to wrestler Sangeet Phogat by taking her to the accused residence to recreate the sequence of events that led to the sexual harassment. TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale urged Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal to take immediate cognizance of the incident and launch a probe against the police officers involved.
Gokhale said taking a sexual assault survivor to the house of the accused to recreate the crime scene is “unfathomable and shocking.” The TMC leader alleged that the Delhi Police “clearly sought to intimidate and create fear” in the mind of the complainant.
“This is not a case of murder or homicide where a procedure like this is required to be undertaken…Moreover, through this alleged “recreation of the crime scene”, the Delhi Police has made Ms. Phogat relive the trauma of her sexual assault which is a violation of her basic rights as a complainant/survivor,” the letter read.
“Clearly, there is an institutionalized attempt being made by the Delhi Police to intimidate the complainant/survivor and to create fear in her mind. This is compounded by the fact that she was taken to the residence of the sexual assault accused who has not yet been arrested,” he added.
Brij Bhushan denies reports
Sangeeta Phogat was reportedly taken to Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s official residence in New Delhi on Friday afternoon to recreate the sequent of events related to the sexual harassment allegation. Phogat was accompanied by women constables, reported PTI quoting people familiar with the matter.
“At 1.30 pm women officers took Sangeeta Phogat to Brij Bhushan’s official residence in Delhi. They were there for half an hour. They asked her to recreate the scene and recall the places where she faced harassment,” PTI quoted sources cited above as saying.
Singh, however, denied the media reports saying nobody came to him.
“I was sleeping in my room. Nobody came to my place,” the BJP MP said while leaving his residence on Friday.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
