Another Haryana top cop charged with molestation

YAMUNANAGAR - Police in Haryana have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the molestation case registered against former inspector general of police M.S. Ahlawat, eight years after a woman lawyer first made her complaint.

According to the police, Ahlawat was booked Tuesday following a 2002 complaint of molestation and intimidation of Harvinder Kaur, who lives in this town. She had alleged in her police complaint that she had been sexually harassed by Ahlawat in 2002. He was then superintendent of police of Yamunanagar district, about 100 km from the state capital Chandigarh.

“We have constituted a SIT, consisting of senior police officials, to probe the allegations made by the woman against Ahlawat. The SIT will submit its inquiry report at the earliest and accordingly we will take further action,” district police chief Sibash Kabiraj said here Wednesday.

“Ahlawat was booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code Tuesday on directions from the state police headquarters. This is a very sensitive matter and SIT will look into all aspects of this case.”

Harvinder Kaur said in her complaint that Ahlawat had tried to harass her when she had gone to meet him in connection with one of her court cases in May 2002.

She alleged that Ahlawat insisted she come to his residence and sought sexual favours from her. In protest, she also sat outside the office of the state police chief and demanded strict action against the tainted official.

At that time, an inquiry was conducted by a senior official of the Haryana police but he recommended another departmental inquiry against Ahlawat.

In a similar incident of molestation involving a Haryana cop, former director general of police S.P.S. Rathore was convicted of molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra in 1990.

Rathore was awarded 18 months rigorous imprisonment and is currently lodged in Burail jail in Chandigarh.