Sohan Lal has no faith left in the Indian police. Recounting his harrowing experience with authorities in the quest of finding his then-missing 16 year-old daughter, Lal said that it was an anguish for him that the two police officers he had consulted in the alleged abduction of his daughter was met with mockery.
According to Lal, the police officers whom he had asked for help had mocked him, ripped his complaint up and was told to return in the morning.
The head constable had told him hours later that his daughter, along with her 14 year-old cousin, were found hanging from branches of a mango tree in a field just a kilometer outside his home.
Lal's plight was supported by hundreds of villagers, who had camped at the mango tree in order to prevent police from taking down the bodies until the suspects have been arrested, Bloomberg said. The standoff lasted 12 hours, but had gained notoriety not only in India, but the rest of the world about women's safety.
Former senior government official in Uttar Pradesh Naresh Saxena, who now advises the United Nations on governance in India, said about the latest rape case in the country, "This is a case that has disgusted people because of the brutality of what they did but also because it highlights how the police treat people. Generally in India the police look down on the poor or those from a lower social status."
Bloomberg said that the double gang-rape and murder case in India has shed light on the obstacle to achieve the safety of women in the country. Despite the fact that state lawmakers have tightened penalties for sexual assault, the main issue that has been prohibiting the curbing of such violence is the male-dominated police force who has build a reputation for corruption.
Atul Saxena, the top police official in the district of Badaun, has said that the two police officers have been sacked for dereliction of duty and for conspiring with the accused. Three brothers have already been arrested for the rape and murders of the teenage cousins, he added. He also stated that the three suspects claimed to have relationships with the girls and denied all charges filed against them.
In an interview, Saxena said, "They were totally indifferent to the criminal activities. We are investigating whether these cops were aware that these girls were dragged away by these culprits."
