Ruchika case: Cong for stripping Rathoreof medals

New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) Congress today hailed
the decision of the government to withdraw the
medal of former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore who
has been convicted in the Ruchika molestation
case.
"We support it (the decision to strip Rathore of
medal).
This is in the domain of the government," party
spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters here.
Describing the Ruchika molestation case as a
"serious issue", Singhvi said, "On one hand there
is such a tragedy, on the other hand he (Rathore)
gets the medal".
He said the state government had recommended
the case to the Centre.
The decision to strip Rathore of his medal was
taken at a meeting chaired by Union Home
Secretary G K Pillai.
Rathore was awarded the police medal for
meritorious service in 1985.

Share

Blogger Widgets

India 'sex crime' police chief to lose medal

The former police chief of the northern Indian state of Haryana, SPS Rathore, will be stripped of his police medal after being convicted of a sex crime.

India's interior ministry said the medals of all convicted police officers would be taken back.

Mr Rathore was convicted last month of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra, who later committed suicide.

A court sentenced him to six months in jail. He received his medal for meritorious service in 1985.

Fresh cases have been filed against Mr Rathore for allegedly falsely charging Miss Girhotra's brother with theft on numerous occasions.

Mr Rathore sought anticipatory bail following the complaints. A court will hear the case on Friday.

'Disrepute'

The recommendation to take back the medal has been sent to President Pratibha Patil by the medals committee of India's home ministry.

Earlier on Monday, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda recommended the withdrawal of Mr Rathore's police medal.

In a letter to Home Minister P Chidambaram, Mr Hooda said the police officer had brought "disrepute and bad name" to the state and the police force, news agency PTI reports.

Ruchika Girhotra complained in 1990 that she was assaulted by Mr Rathore.

Three years later, she committed suicide, after she and her family were the subject of a campaign of harassment.

There has been outrage in India over the six-month jail sentence given to Mr Rathore for molesting Miss Girhotra.

Her family and activists say he has got away with a "very light punishment".

India's National Commission for Women has also demanded that the police revisit the case.

Campaigners say Mr Rathore should be tried for "abetment of suicide" which carries a much longer jail sentence.

Share

Blogger Widgets

Nine rebels' killed in Manipur

IMPHAL: Barely a week since Major-General C A Krishnan took over as the Inspector-General of AR (South)Assam Rifles (AR), jawans have killed at
Twitter Facebook Share
Email Print Save Comment
least nine suspected militants in Manipur.

On Wednesday night, the men in uniform gunned down six "insurgents" in the Sajik Tampak area bordering Myanmar, said a senior officer of the country's oldest paramilitary force. Sajik Tampak was once declared a "liberated" zone unofficially before rebels were flushed out of the area following a military operation.

The jawans found some arms and ammunition on the slain cadres whose identities are unknown yet.

Two hours before the encounter took place, the jawans of 28 AR killed three other suspected rebels in the Waithou area of Thoubal district. Three pistols and some bullets were found on the deceased.

People believe one was a leader of Komrem Development Organization (KRO), an apex social body of Komrem tribes. They suspect that Assam Rifles jawans staged a "fake" encounter.

The bodies have been kept at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) mortuary here for autopsy.

Former IG of Assam Rifles (South) Maj-General AK Choudhary had recently said underground activists were on the run.

Security forces, however, face difficulties in preventing IEDs from being planted in distant areas and rampant extortion carried out by underground cadres, he had said.

On the other hand, police commandos pulled up a suspected Prepak cadre in the Wangjing Mihatpung area on Wednesday night. On questioning the arrested, identified as N Joy Singh (23), he revealed that he was an over ground worker of the outfit and was helping its cadres in extorting money in Thoubal, an official statement said.

Share

Blogger Widgets