SC Commission pulls up police for inaction in Dalit girl case

Responding to reports of police inaction over a Dalit girl's complaint that she was sold off to a land owner three years ago, National Commission for SC/ST today summoned Senior Superintendent of Police and directed him to arrest the accused within a week.
Vice Chairman of the National Commission for SC/ST, Raj Kumar Verka issued the summons to the SSP, who did not respond to it.
However, Kapurthala SP Baljit Singh presented himself before Verka, who told him that an FIR has to be registered in the case within three days followed by arrests in seven days.
According to the commission, the girl, now 17, has alleged that three years ago she was sold off by her uncle to physically-challenged Batala landowner Lakhvir Singh in exchange for Rs 70,000.

The girl managed to escape the landowner's custody three months ago, following which she filed a complaint in the matter.
However, authorities in Kapurthala district did not take any action, prompting her to approach the National Commission for SC/ST for redress.

Verka sought an explanation from the SP as to why no action had been taken on the complaint filed by the girl, who belongs to Kapurthala. Singh said after studying the case, they had referred it to Batala police in Gurdaspur district as the case had originated there.
This prompted Verka to issue an order directing the inspector general of Jalandhar and the Border ranges to submit within three days an affidavit declaring which of them had jurisdiction in the case.

Verka warned the SP against ignoring the orders of the commission and said failure to act as directed would result in "the inspectors general of Jalandhar and Border ranges being summoned with other senior officials to appear before it".