Two Tripura police officers suspended for ‘not registering’ widow’s FIR over domestic dispute

Two police personnel, including a woman sub-inspector, were suspended in Tripura for allegedly failing to register an FIR on a widow’s complaint over a domestic dispute and allegedly threatening her to withdraw the complaint, officials said on July 31.

The complainant, identified as Lipika Lodh, had approached the Airport Police Station in West Tripura district around a month ago, alleging that her daughter-in-law had assaulted her and threatened to evict her from their home.

According to officials, the complaint involved a cognisable offence. However, instead of registering an FIR, the officer-in-charge of the police station and a woman sub-inspector allegedly threatened the widow with “dire consequences” if she did not withdraw her complaint.

The woman sub-inspector was suspended with effect from the afternoon of July 29, while the officer-in-charge had been suspended earlier, an official said.

In an order, West Tripura Superintendent of Police Namit Pathak said a departmental inquiry was being contemplated against the sub-inspector for alleged “gross misconduct, intimidation, abuse of official position and wilful negligence of duty”.

The widow’s lawyer, Purushottam Roy Barman, said she approached the high court after no investigation was initiated into her complaint.

“In an affidavit submitted before the high court, the state government informed on Thursday that two police officers had been suspended and an FIR had also been registered based on the victim’s complaint,” the lawyer said.

He added that two police personnel were deployed at the complainant’s residence from Thursday to ensure her safety.