Continued from P1

According to the FIR, a 33-year-old Armed Reserve Woman Police Constable (ARWPC) of the CAR Headquarters, Hyderabad, lodged a complaint with the Saifabad Police alleging that she was posted at the Legislative Assembly for bandobast duty at Gate No. 3.

Legislators T Harish Rao, along with K Taraka Rama Rao, D Sudheer Reddy, K P Vivekanand, Gangula Kamalakar, Padi Kaushik Reddy, Naveen Reddy, several other MLCs and their followers, came to Gate No. 3. Some of the MLAs were wearing black T-shirts bearing the slogan, “Congress has failed to implement its promises.”

"Harish Rao loudly shouted at the women police on duty, stating, “Are you doing cheap politics by using lady constables as a shield?” At the same time, Taraka Rama Rao also publicly insulted them and loudly shouted, “Who is doing ‘Shikhandi politics’ by using women as a shield? Who is the local DCP here?” The said remarks were made with the intention of insulting the dignity and self-respect of the women police and intimidating them so as to prevent them from performing their official duties. Harish Rao removed his T-shirt and threw it towards a police officer and stood semi-naked in front of them. MLC Naveen Reddy, MLA Sudheer Reddy and others, also removed their T-shirts and stood semi-naked at a very close distance from the complainant," said Saifabad Inspector K Nageswara Rao.

The woman police constable also alleged that the legislators, in an aggressive manner and while being semi-naked, shouted, “Where do they keep the women police?” Such conduct was deliberately carried out with the intention of outraging the modesty, dignity, and honour of the women police personnel. They behaved in such a vulgar and indecent manner despite knowing that they were women and were performing official duties.

Their conduct was intended to humiliate, intimidate, and sexually harass them and to prevent them from discharging their lawful duties. The entire incident was recorded by the cameras of various media channels present at the spot. The humiliation, fear, and distress caused to the women police personnel were clearly visible on their faces in the video footage. The complainant alleged in her complaint that the BRS MLAs and MLCs indulged in physically pushing against them amounting to physical harassment and assault upon them. They deliberately approached them in a semi-naked condition, fully knowing that they were women police personnel on duty and could not leave the place of deployment.

They further attempted to forcibly enter the Assembly premises by pushing and jostling the women police personnel. During this process, they pushed and pressed against the chest area of the women police personnel.

Following the complaint, the Saifabad Police registered cases under section 74 (criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), 75(1) (offence of sexual harassment), 79 (intentionally insult a woman's modesty), 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to a public servant to deter them from performing their official duty), 130 (criminal force), 132 (criminal force used to deter a public servant from discharging their official duty), 296 (speaks obscene words in or near a public place), 351(2) (deals with the punishment for basic criminal intimidation), 352 ( intentional insults made with the intent) read with 3(5) (constructive criminal liability for acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention) of the BNS.