India: Police officer suspended in Kanpur as girl consumes poison

Kanpur: A police officer has been suspended after a minor girl, who was being questioned by him in a case, consumed poison.

The girl's mother alleged that her 14-year-old daughter attempted suicide following her harassment by the Rajpur Station officer.

She also alleged that there were scratch marks on the girl's body, which suggested that the police officer had even tortured her physically.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Keshav Kumar Chaudhary said that Vinod Kumar, station house officer, Rajpur, has been suspended with immediate effect.

The probe about the incident has been handed over to a Circle rank officer (CO). There will be a departmental inquiry in the matter, police said.

According to the news reports that the Rajpur police summoned the girl regarding a complaint lodged by an Army personnel. The complainant is a distant relative of the girl.

The girl was summoned for questioning earlier this week. She told her mother that she was harassed and tortured by the accused police official. Later she consumed poison. Presently, the girl undergoes treatment at the Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital here. 

The police have recorded her statement about the incident in the hospital. Apart from this, the women constables who were present on the day in the police station are also being interrogated and the CCTV footage is being scanned, the news said.