IPS officer allegedly involved in sexually assault of a minor, Sushmita Dev demands his dismissal

May 21: In a latest development, All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev on Friday sent a letter to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urging him to dismiss IPS officer Gaurav Upadhyay, who was charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, as the SP of Chirang district, who has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“I am compelled to write to you about this media report that poses serious questions on the sincerity of the new government in making Assam safer for women. It has been reported that an IPS officer who was recently charge sheeted by the Assam police under POCSO act for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl has been appointed as the Superintendent of Police of a district in Bodoland in lower Assam, wrote Ms. Dev.

She further mentioned that, “The case, registered in January 2020, is still being probed by the Assam Criminal Investigation Department under sections 354, 354A (assault or criminal force to outrage modesty, sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The charge sheet, accessed by news portals, mentions that “sufficient evidence” had been found to prove that the accused “committed aggravated sexual assault as defined under section 9(a)(iv) and section 9(c) of the POCSO Act, 2012, as well as offences under section 354 and 354 A of IPC.”

Is it prudent to make an officer charge sheeted of serious crimes against a 13 year old to be made responsible to the law & order of a district.

My letter to @CMOfficeAssam raising this serious issue asking for immediate action. pic.twitter.com/qLmhDp31rM

— Sushmita Dev (@sushmitadevinc) May 21, 2021

Sushmita Dev stated that the state of women security in Assam has only worsened in last few years with the state topping the list of incidences of crime against women in India. It is a matter of serious concern that a police officer charged with sexual assault of a minor is given responsibility of maintaining law and order of a district in Assam. In her letter she raised the question- “How can a tainted officer invoke the confidence of the people?”

The National President of All India Mahila Congress requested the Chief Minister of Assam to immediately suspend the appointment order of the said officer and ensure justice through a speedy investigation and trial.

The senior IPS officer had allegedly sexually harassed the 14-year-old minor girl during a New Year party at his official residence in Diphu in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district on December 31, 2019. The case is being heard in a court of the Special Judge, POCSO Act, Assam, in the Kamrup Metropolitan district.