Bangalore: A top police officer has resigned after he was charged with taking pictures of a woman at a coffee shop in Bangalore. He is also accused of intimidating her later.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) P Ravindranath allegedly clicked the pictures of a woman, when she was at a cafe on Cunningham road, just behind the Bangalore City Police Commissioner's office on Monday morning.
P Ravindranath belongs to the 1989 batch of Indian Police Service (IPS).
The complainant said that she and her cousin were sitting at a coffee shop chatting when they noticed a man sitting next to them clicking their pictures on his camera phone. When they objected, he apologised and tried to walk out. When they tried to stop him, he allegedly assaulted the cousin of the complainant.
According to eyewitnesses, a customer on the first floor of the cafe came to their rescue and managed to take away Ravindranath's phone. "We got the phone and saw that there were two obscene photos of me that he had taken," she said.
According to local media reports, on Tuesday, an unruffled Ravindranath attended a high-level meeting with other senior officers. The meeting, at Vikasa Soudha, was chaired by Home Minister KJ George.
Afterwards, the minister said he had not received Ravindranath's resignation. The complainant had not named any officer, he said.
"I have instructed Director General of Police (DGP) Lalrokhuma Pachuau to conduct an inquiry and submit a detailed report. The government will not hesitate to take action if any officer is found guilty," he said.
City Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar, who was also with the minister, didn't respond to the questions.
After the meeting, Ravindranath spoke to reporters, describing himself as a victim of a conspiracy hatched by senior colleagues. He said he had already submitted his resignation to Pachuau to "facilitate a fair inquiry".
"I am ready for any probe. I have also mentioned the conspiracy and requested an inquiry into that angle also," he said. High drama prevailed at the High Grounds police station on Tuesday when police said they had "spotted" Ravindranath after issuing him a notice.
Speaking to local mediapersons, an emotional Ravindranath said he was being framed. "I underwent a medical test on Monday morning and had not eaten breakfast. I was at the cafe when a man came down from the first floor and pounced on me, saying I had taken photographs of women. The women got scared and cried out for help and all of a sudden, a sub-inspector barged in and took us to the police station. He snatched my spectacles and threatened to book me for attempting to outrage the modesty of a woman. I repeatedly told him that the man had snatched my wallet and mobile, but all that went in vain," he said.
He also criticised Police Commissioner for not acting against a sub-inspector who had snatched his spectacles, mobile phone and wallet. "Instead, the Commissioner told me that IPS officers are like one family," he said.
High Grounds police in Bangalore have booked Ravindranath for criminal intimidation and attempt to outrage the modesty of a woman.
Ravindranath explained he would be on duty until his resignation was accepted. "Newspapers have identified me as the accused and I have resigned as a moral obligation," he said.
DCP of Bangalore Central Police district, Ravikanthe Gowda said he was yet to question Ravindranath. "We are gathering evidence. The FIR does not identify him. Once the preliminary investigation is over, we will act," he said.
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