Bengaluru: A day after the gang rape of the 30-year-old tennis aspirant in Cubbon park, the jurisdictional police produced the two accused park guards before a magistrate who remanded them in judicial custody until November 27. Taking the accused along, the police have conducted spot mahazar (spot inspection) recreating the scene of crime in the park premise on Friday.
The two accused who have reportedly admitted to the crime told the police that they both noticed the victim sitting alone at around 9:30 pm near the parking lot of the KSLTA club. The duo then confronted the victim for being present inside the park premise at that time. The duo has also reportedly told the police that the victim requested the guards for an accommodation for her inside the park. Taking advantage of the situation, the duo took her to a secluded place in the park and raped her.
According to the police, the duo then asked the victim to stay at the pergola and threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone and left the spot. It was then the victim managed to get out of the park only to be spotted by the night patrolling police. “We have almost completed the investigations and are waiting for the medical reports to corroborate evidence,” a senior police officer said.
The victim was discharged from the hospital on Friday and was taken to her hometown Tumakuru by her family members. Meanwhile, the security agency which had hired the accused is yet to submit the relevant background verification records of the accused two with the police. The police had summoned the proprietor of Pawan Security Agency seeking information whether the company was registered and if the accused were subjected to background verification - to which the agency replied that they have done.
V.S. Ugrappa, MLC and Chairman of Karnataka Legislature Subcommittee on prevention of violence and sexual abuse of women and children, with Jija Hari Singh, retired IPS officer, inspecting the crime spot in Cubbon Park (Photo: DC)
The police had asked the agency to submit the requisite documents to corroborate its claim, but they are yet to come and submit the same, the officer said. The police said that the company would be booked under appropriate sections of IPC if they failed to submit the documents.
12 cameras in Cubbon Park, but not monitored
The Cubbon Park police station was in the news in August as Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the cops there who had implemented the police IT in Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) project successfully and Modi wanted to follow suit.
Two months later, the same police station is in news for all wrong reasons. The Wednesday night’s gang rape incident in Cubbon Park, which is just a few metres away from the station, has raised questions on the beat system adopted by the Cubbon Park police.
“There are seven gates to the park and they will be closed for public at 10 pm. The beat police will patrol there till 1-2 am as there are some clubs in the premises. It is just one isolated incident and there is nothing wrong with our beat system. How can we suspect the security guards who turned to be the accused in the case?” defended a senior official in the central division.
Though there are security cameras inside the park, there is no proper monitoring system in place. The horticulture department has installed six cameras while the Bal Bhavan authorities have installed two cameras. Besides, the police have installed four cameras. It is learnt that there is no system to constantly watch the visuals captured by those cameras.
“Generally, we verify the footage whenever required in any case and we don’t monitor them constantly. The park is spread across 192 acres and practically it is not possible to cover all the areas using security cameras. The same applies to patrolling. When the entry itself is prohibited after 10 pm and no such incident has happened in the past, how can the police be blamed for the incident?” the official said.
‘Outsiders’ behind increasing number of rapes: Ugrappa
Mr V.S. Ugrappa, MLC and chairman of the committee on preventing sexual violence against women and children, urged the state government to direct the home department to make mandatory verification of antecedents of persons appointed as security guards by private security and detective agencies, in the wake of alleged involvement of migrants in rape cases in Bengaluru.
He told reporters here on Friday that the committee has observed that most of the accused in rape cases were outsiders. “However, it does not mean that all outsiders are indulging in such heinous acts. The committee will recommend to the government to ask the police department to verify the backgrounds of people from other states before employing them as security guards by private security agencies. The same yardstick should be applied to drivers and conductors of vehicles that ferry schoolchildren and private company employees,” he said.
Asked whether he will move a private member bill in the council on the compulsory verification of antecedents of security guards, he said it is not a convention to move a private member bill by a ruling party member. He, however, will direct the government to issue a circular to this effect.
“I have also directed the Cubbon Park police station to book a case against the owner of a private security agency as its two guards allegedly raped a woman in Cubbon Park two days ago. It is high time the government keeps a tab on private security agencies in the city,” he said. Thanks to latest technology, it was possible for the Karnataka police to verify antecedents of people from other states seeking jobs in private security agencies.
During his visit to the police station, it was found that one of the accused was working elsewhere during morning and reported to duty in Cubbon Park at night. The outsourcing agency has not checked the backgrounds before giving them jobs, he said.
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