Jind: A strange tension has gripped the staff at this women’s police station in Haryana’s Jind. Four women personnel huddled in a corner of a room, discussing in hushed whispers a letter that has raised alarm bells in the chief minister’s office. The letter has accused Jind SP Sumit Kumar of sexually harassing seven women police personnel.
The letter, addressed to the Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the Home Ministry, the DGP, and other top-ranking officials, has also accused DSP Gitika Jhakad and SHO of Jind women police station Mukesh Rani of abetting the harassment.
“The whole police station has become very quiet after the letter went viral. There’s an inquiry going on, but no one has come forward yet. Everyone is scared—scared to even talk about it,” said a female police officer in civil clothes as she left the police station which is barely 500 metres away from the SP office after her shift.
The story of the e-mail complaint has captured all the chatter in the Jind officialdom. But there is one thing everybody agrees on – both the accused and the women police officers.
The accused officers have denied the allegations and called the letter a conspiracy aimed at defaming them. SHO Mukesh Rani has lodged an FIR against a local social media channel, accusing it of twisting facts in their reporting and maligning the image of the police. The women police personnel whose names figure on the complaint letter have also denied the allegations made in their name.
“In the last few months, Haryana has witnessed several similar viral letters across institutions whether in universities, schools, or police stations—accusing officials of sexual harassment,” said a male official from the police department on the condition of anonymity.
In Haryana, anonymous letters making allegations against the powerful have appeared frequently in the past few years. In the case of alleged harassment at the hands of the principal of a public school in Jind, it was the letters written to district officers that raised the alarm. In the Sirsa university case, however, the investigation consumed significant resources, only to reveal that the accusations were fabricated by a rival professor. Police collected statements from 500 university students before determining the allegations were baseless.
“This letter seems suspicious, but we are investigating all angles. For example, one of the names mentioned is Sonia, and we spoke to every female police officer named Sonia in the Jind district,” said SP Astha Modi
Fatehabad SP Astha Modi, who is probing allegations against the Jind SP and two others, has so far questioned 19 women police personnel whose names match with those mentioned in the letter. None have identified themselves with these allegations.
“I personally spoke to the 19 women. This letter seems suspicious, but we are investigating all angles. For example, one of the names mentioned is Sonia, and we spoke to every female police officer named Sonia in the Jind district,” said Modi.
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Anxiety and the theories
Wearing salwar suit and carrying a small school backpack, two women police personnel walked out of the police station.
“We are just the constables. We get in trouble despite not doing anything. Now, all of us are scared. Our families are scared for us. Such incidents mess with our lives. I don’t know anything about this letter. I just know that my shift just ended after 24 hours and I don’t want additional stress into my life, which is being added because of the letter,” said one of the woman constables, before sitting into an e-rickshaw.
Who issued the mysterious email is anybody’s guess in Jind. A YouTuber played it up, a conspiracy to force the transfer of some officers, an IPS rivalry.
Some police personnel said it has been done by a local YouTuber who has been used to “target police personnel” that could ultimately lead to the transfer of the SP.
“The second letter that was going viral was not sent to any official. It was posted by a Facebook page, which was made by the same email ID as the YouTube channel that is behind this (letter),” said a senior police officer on the condition of anonymity.
“The allegations are really big and seemed unbelievable at first but whatever it is, it has impacted our lives. I get calls from my family suggesting I should not talk about this. Although I am not involved in that matter, even talking about it feels like a curse,” a constable
Meanwhile, the women police personnel staff ThePrint spoke to is worried that the letter and the ongoing enquiry could impact their family life. Their husbands are warning them to stay away from the controversy. Their reputation and a government job are at stake.
“It is not something that we can ignore. The allegations are really big and seemed unbelievable at first but whatever it is, it has impacted our lives. I get calls from my family suggesting I should not talk about this. Although I am not involved in that matter, even talking about it feels like a curse,” said a female constable from Jind women police Station whose name is mentioned in the letter.
The letter was sent using an email id created especially for the purpose. There were two letters sent. The first one didn’t have signatures and landed at 12:01 am on 25 October. The second one landed two minutes later at 12:03 am and has signatures of seven women police personnel.
The letter alleged how SP Sumit Kumar harassed police personnel who were “physically attractive”. It accused the SP of running an extortion circle that included female officers — SHO Mukesh Rani and DSP Gitika Jhakad. They allegedly ran a scheme to trap wealthy men for financial gains.
The letter cited an incident of harassment faced by a female police personnel.
“I am a female police officer and perform my duties honestly. However, IPS officers in my district prey on attractive female personnel. The SP’s wife and children live elsewhere. One day, the SHO of the women’s police station took me to the SP’s residence. At that time, no one was at the bungalow except the gatekeeper. The SP and the SHO instructed me to go to the kitchen and make tea. When I came out with the tea, the SHO was no longer in the room. As I offered tea to the SP, he grabbed my hand and began forcing himself on me. I resisted and managed to escape the room,” said the letter.
SHO Mukesh Rani’s FIR against the channel said that “the admin, disregarding the dignity of myself and other female officers, posted another defamatory message on October 27, 2024. This post repeated the false allegations, even though an investigation by senior officials was already underway.”
Jind Breaking News has been posting about the matter for the last two days. There are videos, write-ups and all the shared coverage of the issue on their Facebook page that has around 44,000 followers.
The FIR further accused the channel of extortion and defamation.
“This false complaint appears to be part of a premeditated scheme by the channel’s admin, in collaboration with others, to extort money and defame us. Similar incidents of extortion targeting police and civil officials have occurred in the past. The documents posted by the channel are available on their platform, and I am willing to present them during the investigation if necessary,” stated the FIR quoting Rani.
The Haryana Women’s Commission has also taken note of the case. Its chairperson, Renu Bhatia, has requested a detailed report from the DGP.
“We are in contact with the police personnel whose names appeared in the letter, as well as the SP. The DGP himself is overseeing the investigation. This case is a significant challenge for the police. Even if the letter turns out to be fake, we need to understand how such serious allegations could be fabricated. The investigation is being treated with utmost seriousness,” said Bhatia.
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Careers on the line
While some elements in the letter align with actual events, other details seem fabricated, said police officials who did not wish to be named. The letter referenced the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) of a policewoman who had approached a local MLA to resolve issues related to poor comments in her ACR. However, the concerned woman personnel isn’t among the signatories of the letter.
“There are five personnel whose ACRs were marked poorly. Three are currently active in service, while one is fighting the matter in court. Though the case mentioned in the letter is genuine, it wasn’t the SP who issued the negative ACR—it came from higher levels,” said an official in the police department.
The letter alleged that the woman police personnel had gone to a BJP MLA not only for help regarding her ACR but also to report sexual harassment.
“SP sir fell in love with a widow constable. Like me, she rejected him, which led to her mental harassment,” read the letter
In both versions (of the letter and the MLA), the woman is described as a widow, yet the letter’s details do not match her identity.
“SP sir fell in love with a widow constable. Like me, she rejected him, which led to her mental harassment. When the MLA intervened, the SP told him, ‘Your sister is like my sister,’ but still ruined her ACR,” read the letter.
BJP MLA Krishan Middha, whose name is mentioned in the letter, confirmed a part of the claim but denied having received any complaint regarding sexual assault.
“It’s true that a woman named Usha came to me regarding her ACR, but no sexual harassment was mentioned. That woman’s name isn’t included among the letter’s signatories,” said Middha. “I don’t recall anyone else approaching me with similar complaints.”
After IPS officer Astha Modi initiated the investigation, a second letter without any signatures surfaced. It requested the transfer of the three accused officers and expressed concerns over the investigation’s impartiality.
“We demand that an IG-level female officer handle this investigation, and only then will we come forward. Please transfer SP Sumit Kumar, DSP Gitika Jhakad, and SHO Mukesh Rani. We also possess an audio clip as evidence,” read the second letter.
SP Sumit Kumar has denied all the allegations and has requested an investigation by the Inspector General (IG).
“I was shocked when I first read the letter. Everything in it is fabricated,” said DSP Jhakad
“There has never been a day when only a gatekeeper was present at my residence. I live with my son, and my house is filled with people working for me. This letter is a baseless conspiracy, and the culprits behind it will soon be identified. I am fully cooperating with the investigation,” Kumar told ThePrint.
DSP Jhakad, who is an Arjuna Awardee and Commonwealth Games gold medalist, too denied the allegations.
“I was shocked when I first read the letter. Everything in it is fabricated. The investigation is ongoing, and nothing substantial has been found yet. Even the women staff at the station are anxious,” said Jhakad.
The letter also claimed that the female officers involved pressured subordinates to comply with unethical demands.
“The female SHO and DSP told me to cooperate with the officers. When I went outside the camp office, I saw the SHO sitting there. I informed her about what had happened inside, but she became angry and insisted that officers must cooperate. I left the SP residence in tears and reported the incident to the DSP. However, the DSP also said that officers must cooperate for promotions,” the letter stated.
The author of the letter has threatened suicide if the harassment did not stop.
“The SHO has illicit relations with senior officers and has formed a gang with young women. They file false cases against boys from wealthy families and extort large sums to settle these cases. The SP, DSP, and SHO work together in this scheme, earning crores of rupees every month. If you investigate their properties, everything will become clear,” the letter alleges.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)