Puri: Inspector arrested for molesting minor

PURI: As lakhs of devotees enjoyed the spectacular rath yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri, the Orissa police which was already saddled with the responsibility of security and crowd management, was in for some embarrassment. It had to arrest one its own officers for allegedly molesting a minor on a train to Puri. The accused Inspector Santosh Mallick of the special crime branch fled from custody only to be re-arrested hours later.MM Praharaj, DG police, Orissa, said, "As soon as I got the information, I immediately placed him under suspension and arrested him. I will also take action against those who were responsible for his escape from judicial custody."The incident occured on the Jagannath Express. The nine-year-old victim was travelling with her family from Kolkata to Puri. When she raised an alarm, her co-passengers beat up the inspector who was allegedly drunk at the time. He was handed over to the Government Railway Police."The inspector tried to rape my daughter. Now I feel insecure in train journey," said the victim's mother.On one hand while the Lord Jagannath rath yatra was celebrated in religious fervor in Puri, on the other hand the alleged sexual assault by the police inspector on the minor girl has enraged the people. Many are demanding that strong action should be taken against him which the Orissa police DG has promised to do.-Jajati Karan