Women Engineers Allege Police Inaction After Night Assault in Kollam
A serious complaint has emerged from Kerala's Kollam district. A team of women engineers claims local police failed to take proper action after an assault incident during night duty.
The Saturday Night Incident
The event unfolded around 10 PM last Saturday. A women's engineering team was supervising tarring work on the Sasthamcotta-Anjilimoodu main road. This seven-member group included assistant executive engineers, assistant engineers, and supervisors from the Kerala Road Fund Board.
According to their official complaint, a jeep entered the restricted work site by bypassing traffic arrangements. When the women officials objected to this unauthorized entry, a youth stepped out of the vehicle. He created a disturbance at the work location.
Assault and Phone Snatching
The situation escalated quickly. One assistant executive engineer attempted to record the incident using her mobile phone. The youth allegedly assaulted her during this attempt. In the resulting scuffle, the official's phone was reportedly snatched away.
The engineering team immediately went to the Sasthamcotta police station to file a formal complaint. They discovered some of the alleged attackers had already arrived at the station before them.
Allegations Against Police
The women engineers made several serious allegations about police handling of their complaint. They stated officers simply asked them to write down their complaint and leave the station.
According to the complainants, police took no immediate action. They allege officers neither visited the incident spot nor registered a formal case initially. When contacted later about the matter, police reportedly suggested resolving the issue through talks rather than formal legal action.
Formal Complaints Filed
Frustrated by the local police response, the engineering team has taken their complaint higher up. They have submitted formal complaints to both the rural police chief and senior officials of the public works department.
These complaints detail the entire incident and the alleged police inaction. The women seek proper investigation and action against those involved in the assault.
Police Response
When approached for comment on these allegations, Sasthamcotta police officials declined to provide any statement. They offered no explanation for their reported handling of the complaint.
The incident raises questions about police responsiveness to complaints from women professionals working night shifts. It also highlights challenges faced by field engineers during infrastructure projects.
