The crucial cross-examination of the lady police officer probing the December 16 gangrape on Tuesday commenced in the Delhi court where she refuted the charge by the accused that a false case has been foisted on them at the behest of a criminal lawyer and uncle of victim’s male friend.
The officer, who is also the prime witness in the case, replied in the negative to the question that the victim’s initial statement was manipulated by her as the names of the accused were not mentioned in it.
“It is wrong to suggest that I met the maternal uncle (a criminal advocate) of the complainant (male friend of victim), in hospital. It is further wrong to suggest that the maternal uncle of the complainant, with an intention to save his nephew, had been requesting me to make false case against the accused persons,” she said in the court of additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna. The sub-inspector, posted at Vasant Vihar police station here, in her cross-examination by accused Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur said she was told about the number of assailants in the bus.
“It is further wrong to suggest that the complainant had not told me about the number of the assailants (accused) in the bus. However, it is correct that he did not tell the registration number of the bus or the names of the accused persons,” she said to a question by the accused’s counsel.
On being asked why the police had not joined any public person as witness in the case, the IO said though she had “asked some public persons to join the investigation at the time of seizure of exhibits (evidence) in the hospital” and even at the spot where the victim and her male friend was thrown, but “none agreed”.
“Since those public persons made reasonable excuses, I did not take action against them for not joining investigation,” the IO added.