Following a gruesome incident where a female constable was found in a pool of blood inside a train compartment on August 30, the Allahabad High Court on Sunday strongly despised both the Uttar Pradesh government and the railway police over the untoward incident.
Upon receiving a WhatsApp text regarding the incident, Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker convened a late evening hearing at his residence on Sunday in presence of Justice Ashutosh Srivastava where the Railway Protection Force (RPF) was reprimanded for "failing in discharge of its duties". The court has ordered the Government Railway Police (GRP) to submit a status update on its investigation into the case by September 13.
About the incident
According to the GRP, the woman constable was found in a "pool of blood" with injuries to her face and head in a Saryu Express compartment on August 30.
It has been reported that the woman was then taken to a hospital in Lucknow where her condition is believed to be stable.
Police said that an FIR was lodged by the woman's brother on the same day.
The police and the family of the woman have both denied any sexual assault angle to the case.
The court also issued notices to the Centre, the Ministry of Railways, the director general of RPF, the Uttar Pradesh government, and the Ministry of Home and State Commission for Women.
What did the police say?
According to Puja Yadav, the officer in charge of the investigation, "The 47-year-old woman head constable, who hails from the Prayagraj district, was posted in Sultanpur district,"
"She was coming from Sultanpur to Ayodhya on 'Saavan Mela' duty. She was supposed to deboard at Ayodhya, but reached a railway station called Manakpur as she had slept in the train. The incident took place between Ayodhya and Mankapur."
Senior officials of the UP Police visited the injured woman constable at the King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow. The police are yet to solve the case and have been unable to determine the motive behind the brutal attack on the woman.
