03 December,2016 12:05 PM IST | | Gaurav Sarkar
Family alleges that officials at Vakola police station refused to lodge an FIR, while cops say they're not interfering since it is a civil case
23-year-old woman slashed over family dispute, Mumbai police refuses help
A 23-year-old woman was allegedly attacked with blades and sexually assaulted by four to five men inside a shop her family owns on Thursday afternoon. The victim of the assault, Yasmeen Hussain is a resident of Vakola.
The incident occurred at around 4 pm inside Lucky Salon in the locality, where the victim was called with her parents by her cousins Saddam and Sahreek Sheikh to settle a long-standing family dispute on sharing profits made by the shop.
Parents assaulted first
"There were already around four to five people inside the shop at the time, along with the two brothers," she added. Yasmeen said her mother and father were physically assaulted first, after which they were thrown out of the shop. The shutters of the salon were then pulled down, while she remained inside. "They choked me, misbehaved, and forced themselves on me, trying to make sexual advances," she said.
"My parents too got beaten up. They (the alleged assaulters) were trying to threaten and intimidate us to drop the property dispute." While this was going on inside the shop, Yasmeen's parents were screaming for help from people standing outside the shop. Hearing their cries, the shutters of the shop were finally opened.
'Cops didn't file FIR'
Yasmeen was then taken to a hospital on Veera Desai Road. Prior to that, the family approached officials from Vakola Police Station, who, according to her mother Zaibunissa, refused to file an FIR. "No police officer from Vakola Police Station was willing to lodge our FIR," said Zaibunissa. "The cops harass us; they have been making us run around this family dispute for almost six years now. My daughter was attacked because she is outspoken." Later on, the cops registered a Non-Cognisable complaint.
Civil matter
"We are currently not investigating the matter since this is a family dispute", said senior PI Mahadev Walvi of Vakola Police Station.
"We have been dealing with this matter since the past two to three months. I have told the concerned parties that this is a civil matter and we cannot do anything. An NC has been registered. If the victim feels like an FIR was not fairly registered, then she can move HC."
Accused says
"We have all proof, including CCTV footage, that we have not done anything," said Saddam Sheikh, one of the accused and Yasmeen's cousin, adding, "There is no complaint lodged in the police station either."
