New Delhi:
The Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, has written to the Home Minister asking for an independent inquiry into a magistrate's allegation that senior Delhi police officers tried to interfere with the crucial process of recording the statement of the 23-year-old medical student who was gang-raped on a moving bus in Delhi last week.
Ms Dikshit's note to Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is based on a complaint filed by the sub divisional magistrate or SDM of Vasant Vihar, Usha Chaturvedi, who recorded the student's statement in hospital on Friday night. The judge claims that three police officers, who she has named, tried to dissuade the young woman's mother from letting her record her statement on camera.
Police sources have countered the magistrate, saying it was not them, but the student's mother, who did not want the 23-year-old's testimony to be video-taped.
The statement will be used in the trial of the six men arrested for the gang-rape. The young student is in critical condition in hospital.
Mrs Dikshit, in her letter to Mr Shinde, says the magistrate's complaint is "alarming and serious." The judge has alleged that the police officers misbehaved with her and tried to intimidate her. However, she has not questioned the contents of the statement, or suggested that it was influenced by the police officers' alleged actions.
Police sources say that the three officers named by the magistrate were not in the hospital room when the student shared her account of the horrific assault, and that the magistrate was free to ask the student any questions she wanted.
Senior police sources also say that if required, they will help facilitate a fresh recording of the statement.
The magistrate's complaint was forwarded to the Chief Minister by BM Mishra, who is Deputy Commissioner, East. Mr Mishra has reportedly sought stern action against the police officers.
The heinous attack has incensed India with thousands of protestors, many of them students, demanding stricter anti-rape laws and better safety for women in Delhi. Mrs Dikshit has been sharply critical of the police's handling of the case.
Ms Dikshit's note to Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is based on a complaint filed by the sub divisional magistrate or SDM of Vasant Vihar, Usha Chaturvedi, who recorded the student's statement in hospital on Friday night. The judge claims that three police officers, who she has named, tried to dissuade the young woman's mother from letting her record her statement on camera.
Police sources have countered the magistrate, saying it was not them, but the student's mother, who did not want the 23-year-old's testimony to be video-taped.
The statement will be used in the trial of the six men arrested for the gang-rape. The young student is in critical condition in hospital.
Mrs Dikshit, in her letter to Mr Shinde, says the magistrate's complaint is "alarming and serious." The judge has alleged that the police officers misbehaved with her and tried to intimidate her. However, she has not questioned the contents of the statement, or suggested that it was influenced by the police officers' alleged actions.
Police sources say that the three officers named by the magistrate were not in the hospital room when the student shared her account of the horrific assault, and that the magistrate was free to ask the student any questions she wanted.
Senior police sources also say that if required, they will help facilitate a fresh recording of the statement.
The magistrate's complaint was forwarded to the Chief Minister by BM Mishra, who is Deputy Commissioner, East. Mr Mishra has reportedly sought stern action against the police officers.
The heinous attack has incensed India with thousands of protestors, many of them students, demanding stricter anti-rape laws and better safety for women in Delhi. Mrs Dikshit has been sharply critical of the police's handling of the case.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
