Chhattisgarh officer booked for molestation

A mid-level administrative officer has been booked for allegedly molesting a 16-year-old girl, who worked at his residence as domestic help in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, police said today.
A case of molestation has been registered against A K Dhritlahre, who was Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) posted in Kharsiya town at the time of the incident, said Raigarh Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Shukla.
The action has been taken on the basis of a report prepared by a team that investigated the girl's allegations against the 55-year-old officer, he said.
On June 15, the teenager, in a complaint to Raigarh Collector and SP, alleged that Dhritlahre molested her several times last month while she was working as a maid at his official residence under Kharsiya police station limits.

Acting on the complaint, Collector (in-charge) Nilesh Kshirsagar constituted a four-member joint team of administrative officers and police to probe the matter.
Meanwhile, Dhritlahre was transferred to the District Collectorate here from Kharsiya.

"The probe team submitted its report following which Dhritlahre was booked under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC and Section 8 of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offence)," the SP said.
Dhritlahre has not been arrested yet.
Shukla has also directed Kharsiya Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Puja Agrawal to probe the allegations of police atrocity on the girl.

As per the complaint, when the girl's parents stopped her from working at the officer's house after she narrated her ordeal, Dhritlahre lodged an alleged fake case of theft against the victim.
According to the girl, she was mentally and physically tortured by Kharsiya police during probe into the case, in which she was eventually let-off as there was no evidence against her.