India News | Officer Named in Law Student's Suicide Note Relieved of Charge, Husband, Parents-in-law Arrested: Police

Kochi, Nov 24 (PTI): A day after the suicide of a 21-year-old law student, who left behind a note blaming her husband, in-laws and a police officer for her taking the extreme step, the inspector in question was on Wednesday relieved from his post as SHO (station house officer) and directed to report before the State police chief.

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The direction from police chief Anil Kant relieving C L Sudheer came amid criticism of the Kerala government for allowing him to continue as the SHO despite the allegations against him.

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Besides the officer, the police arrested the victim's husband and in-laws.

The trio was arrested and a case registered against the three under sections 304B (dowry death), 498A (dowry harassment), 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (common intention), police said.

While the maximum punishment for dowry death is life imprisonment, it is three years' jail term for dowry harassment and 10 years' term for abetment of suicide.

Earlier in the day, Congress MP Benny Behanan and Aluva MLA Anwar Sadath protested outside the police station demanding action against the SHO.

In the suicide note, Mofia Parveen, the third year law student, had alleged that the officer had misbehaved with her when she went there with her father to give her statement regarding her complaint of dowry harassment and domestic violence against her husband and in-laws.

The incident created an uproar in the State, which recently saw a string of suicides by women -- including the Vismaya case -- over dowry harassment.

Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan told reporters earlier in the day that the government was not taking any action against the officer as he has party affiliations.

"This indicates the Left government's stand where women's safety and security is concerned," he further said and added that this was the third incident involving the officer in question.

Outside the Aluva East police station, Behanan told reporters that the officer should have been removed from his charge at least temporarily in view of the allegations.

Sadath, also protesting outside the station, told reporters that if no action was taken against the officer, such incidents will continue to happen.

In the midst of this, another woman came forward alleging inappropriate and rude behaviour against the officer.

She told a news channel that despite waiting for around 18 hours at the station, the officer did not even try to hear her complaint of dowry harassment against her in-laws and when he finally saw her, he spoke harshly to her and used words like 'edi'.

Incidentally, the Kerala High Court has issued strict directions to the police not to use archaic words like 'eda' and 'edi' among others and to be more polite when they interact with people.

According to Mofia's father, he went to the station on Monday with his daughter to give her statement and she had made it clear before going there that she does not want her submission to be recorded in her husband's presence.

However, the officer spoke to them in her husband's presence and also spoke inappropriately and rudely to him and his daughter, the father told a news channel and added that it was the officer's conduct which demoralised her.

After returning to home, she was worried whether the police would take any action in view of the officer's conduct at the station, the father of the student had claimed and said that she hanged herself in her room later on the same day.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)