Hyderabad, June 11: Two sub-inspectors attached to the Saidabad police station were suspended on Monday by city Police Commissioner P Ramulu for not registering a rape case involving a minor girl.

The Commissioner passed the suspension orders after it came to light that the two SIs — A Venkataramana and Vijayasrinivas — accepted a bribe from the accused and tried to hush up the case.

It may be recalled that a seven-year-old girl from Rajarajeswarinagar under the Saidabad police station limits, was allegedly raped by Mallesh, 30, working as an attender in the Azampura pension office of the same locality on June 5 when the victim was alone.

Neighbours heard her screams and noticed that the minor girl was bleeding while she came out of Mallesh’s residence. The girl informed her 11-year-old sister about the incident on Wednesday evening. Her father, a rickshaw puller took her to Saidabad police station to lodge a complaint.

The SIs, however, refused to register a case. Instead, they hushed up the case by threatening the complainant to accept Rs 5,000 as “compensation” and withdraw the case. The two SIs also accepted a bribe of Rs 11,000 from the accused which was confirmed by the Police Commissioner.

The girl’s father went away as the police officials refused to register a case. However, the accused, who had agreed to pay Rs 11,000 as promised to the girl’s parents before the SIs refused to pay up saying he had paid Rs 11,000 to the SIs as bribe.

The father of the victim again approached the Saidabad police station to lodge a complaint. Again the SIs refused to register a case against the accused.

Left with no option, he then approached the local leaders of various parties, who apprised the matter to the nodal team during the Janma Bhoomi meeting at Subramanyanagar on Saturday. The intervention of senior officials made the Saidabad police to register a case and the girl was sent for medical examination to the Osmania General Hospital. The accused Mallesh was taken into custody by the police.

Based on the evidence available, the Commissioner issued orders suspending the two sub-inspectors of the Saidabad police station for their deliberate negligence in not registering a case. The Commissioner told Deccan Chronicle “Nobody will be spared if they deny justice to the victims or refuse to register a case.”

The case assumes significance as the girl belongs to Scheduled Caste. Any officer can be arrested and prosecuted for denying justice to the victims, particularly when the case falls under the purview of SC, ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act.

It is compulsory on the part of a police official to register a case under the Act.

Action against the accused can be taken after a probe, but refusing to register a case is a serious offence, a senior IPS officer told Deccan Chronicle. However, in this case, the two SIs were spared from arrest and prosecution because the evidence was wiped out as the victim was sent for medical examination four days after the incident, the official added. (Note: The rape victim in this story is a Dalit minor girl)