Three years ago, I had stepped out of the office for a quick break with some of my colleagues when a friend told me to come and stand beside her, instead of in front of her. When I asked what was wrong, her revelation shocked me to my core. There was a man standing behind me across the street with his hand up his kilt jerking off in the middle of the day. I had never felt more gross and disgusted in my entire life. Years later, the statement still stands true. We rushed away from there as soon as we could but, unfortunately, the image of his face never did.
So, when I heard about a woman from Uttar Pradesh who caught a cop masturbating in front of her, while she was trying to file a complaint, I was still disgusted but glad that the authorities took an action against him. The incident took place in UP’s Deoria district and the cop accused is the Station House Officer (SHO) of Bhatni Police Sation, Bhishm Pal Singh. Apparently, the woman recorded him masturbating and posted the video online. Soon the video went viral catching the right authority’s attention. The SP of Deoria said in a statement, “An FIR has been registered against him and he has been suspended. Action is being taken.”
The woman had been visiting the police station for a few days over a land dispute she’s involved in. She reportedly stated that the SHO was touching his private parts in front of her while she was being taken to his chamber to lodge the complaint she had come for.
According to reports, the cop’s misbehaviour went on for days before the women finally got fed up and decided to do something about it. “I ignored his misbehaviour for the first 2-3 times and wanted him to lodge our case in the land dispute. But then a woman relative said that she also faced a similar incident at the hands of this officer. This is when I decided to film him,” she said in a statement. Sources at the police station confirmed the same.
Imagine going to the police to seek help and getting harassed like this in return. Actually, scratch that, don’t imagine it. Nobody should have to face this in any form. How can we feel safe when our “protectors” are the ones acting like criminals? Where can we feel safe, if at all? Is the officer’s suspension justice enough? Because instead of solving the woman’s problem, he created another one for her that’ll stay with her mentally for life. I know about it too well. And I’m sure there are many like me and her who do.
We don’t need such officers protecting us. They shouldn’t be protected from the right punishment either.
Featured Image: Dawn (representative image)
