Video of woman’s harassment by rain revellers in Lko: CM cracks the whip, govt shunts DCP, ADCP, ACP, suspends SHO

A day after a video of rain revellers harassing a woman and other commuters wading through water-logged streets went viral on social media in Lucknow, senior police officers of the city’s eastern zone, including the deputy commissioner of police (DCP), additional DCP and assistant CP were transferred on Thursday, besides, the entire Samtamulak police outpost and the station house officer (SHO) of Gomtinagar were suspended.

“Four accused were also arrested within 24 hours. However, by Thursday evening, a total of 16 people, mostly from Lucknow, were arrested based on CCTV,” said Lucknow police in a press note.

“Two of the accused, Pawan Yadav and Sunil Kumar, were apprehended late Wednesday night based on CCTV footage while Mohammad Arbaaz and Viraj Sahu were arrested on the tip-off provided by the former duo,” said Lucknow police commissioner Amarendra Kumar Sengar.

The action was taken in line with the state government’s zero-tolerance policy with chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday expressing deep displeasure and calling the incident shameful.

“On CM Yogi’s instructions, DCP East, ADCP East, and ACP Gomtinagar have been removed from their posts for negligence with immediate effect. Furthermore, the inspector of Gomtinagar, the in-charge of Samtamulak Chowki, and all the policemen at the Chowki have been suspended,” read a government press note.

“With the seriousness of the matter, DCP East Prabal Pratap Singh, ADCP East Amit Kumawat, and ACP Gomtinagar Anshu Jain were transferred from their positions with immediate effect. Additionally, Gomtinagar inspector Deepak Kumar Pandey, Samtamulak Chowki incharge Rishi Vivek, inspector Kapil Kumar, constable Dharamveer and constable Virendra Kumar have been suspended,” said joint commissioner of police (crime) Akash Kulhary.

Meanwhile, a manhunt has been launched for the remaining suspects. “Five teams have been formed to nab the other accused. The team has identified 10 accused with their names and addresses and they will be arrested soon,” the JCP added.

A Lucknow police order stated that DCP East PP Singh was transferred and made DCP 112, ADCP East Amit Kumawat was sent to the headquarters while ACP Gomtinagar Anshu Jain was posted as ACP Women Crime.

The incident

Heavy rain on Wednesday led to waterlogging near the underpass in the Gomti Nagar area, close to the Taj Hotel and Sheroes Cafe. Thereafter, several rain revellers gathered at the spot and started harassing commuters on the waterlogged spot, splashing rain water on them as they passed.

Even as it continued to rain, videos shared on social media purportedly showed hooligans harassing bikers and women. Instances of people breaking car windows and wipers, breaking streetlights and shoving bikers onto the waterlogged street also came to light.

In one such video, a large group of men could be seen harassing a man and a woman on a bike. The duo, unable to maintain balance, fell off the bike even as the men splashed dirty water on them.

When these incidents were happening, no police personnel were seen on the spot and they arrived only after the matter went out of control with videos going viral.

Later, police personnel, armed with their batons, dragged many of the hooligans off the streets.

“Following reports of unruly individuals harassing pedestrians in the waterlogged underpass, a formal complaint was lodged against the accused in Gomtinagar. The police have filed a report against the accused under sections 191 (2), 3 (5), 272, 285, and 74 (related to outraging a woman’s modesty) of BNS 2023,” said the Lucknow CP.

Action followed social media criticism

The police swung into action only after the videos drew huge criticism from internet users and started going viral.

“A woman is being harassed in broad daylight in the capital Lucknow. All this is happening very close to the CM’s residence. Water is being thrown on the woman; she is being pushed off the bike,” wrote Nigar Parveen on X.

Another user IP Singh wrote: “Sisters and daughters are really not safe in U.P. Hooligans surrounded a girl and misbehaved with her until she was thrown off the motorcycle. This is Lucknow’s Gomtinagar area...”

Later in the evening, police lodged an FIR in connection with the incident at Gomtinagar police station and arrested two accused -- Pawan Yadav and Sunil Kumar -- on the basis of CCTV footage.

Revellers were regular trouble-makers: Locals

The 16 people arrested on Thursday were allegedly habitual trouble-makers in the Jugauli area, in Nehru Enclave of Gomti Nagar, and several complaints by residents to police about the accused had gone unnoticed.

After the video went viral and arrests were subsequently made, the Nehru Enclave residents said that had the police taken action on previous complaints, they would not have had to deal with the embarrassment.

According to the police, all residents who were arrested were mostly from Lucknow and two of them are from Jugauli, while most were from Vineet Khand, Vinay Khand and other localities.

“These are a crowd of over 30-40 people and reside in nearby areas and would make Gayatri Park and other parks in Nehru Enclave as their hub for nuisance where they drink and smoke,” said Anju Varshney, a resident of Nehru Enclave.

“I have made multiple complaints to police raising issues on women safety and had even informed ACP Anshu Jain recently by informing how the parks in the entire area are being used for such nuisances. I had even sent her pictures of alcohol bottles being littered every night at an another park close to my house. She seemed interested and claimed to do night patrolling but it never happened,” said Varshney, while sharing screenshots of the request she made to the assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Gomti Nagar on WhatsApp.

Anju Jain, who was Gomti Nagar ACP is one of the senior officers along with DCP East, who was removed on Thursday after the orders from Yogi government after they were found to be negligent in the case.

Another person wishing anonymity said, these men not just drink and gamble in the park, but often harass women in the evening and at night time. “They would pass lewd comments on women. Trees had to be cut, benches were removed from the park to remove them, but they continued to create a nuisance. They even fought with me one day. We informed Gomti Nagar SHO but nothing was done,” he said.