Sujith Das, who is under suspension over allegations of unethical conduct, said the woman who had visited his office in 2022 with her brother and child is known for her frequent complaints against police.
Published Sep 06, 2024 | 1:45 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 06, 2024 | 1:45 PM
Sujith Das IPS. (Screengrab)
A Malappuram native woman on Friday, 6 September, alleged that suspended Superintendent of Police (SP) Sujith Das, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) VV Benny and Circle Inspector (CI) Vinod Kumar had sexually assaulted her. She claimed that Sujith Das and Vinod Kumar sexually assaulted her following a property dispute.
Meanwhile, Sujith Das, already facing an inquiry, has alleged a major conspiracy behind the sexual assault accusation. At the centre of this row is LDF MLA Anvar.
According to the Ponnani native woman, Vinod Kumar assaulted her at her home while investigating her complaint, and Benny subsequently assaulted her when she reported the incident to him in Thanoor.
She also alleged that Sujith Das took her to a house in Changuvetty in Malappuram in a luxury car and sexually assaulted her. The woman said that she mustered the courage to speak out against the sexual assault after the intervention of Nilambur MLA PV Anvar.
Anvar had claimed that Sujith Das had links with gold smuggling gangs and tried to influence him to withdraw a complaint in a tree-felling case when the latter was Malappuram SP. Sujith Das was suspended on Thursday pending investigation.
The woman added that she informed Anvar about the incident and was considering filing formal complaints with the chief minister and other authorities.
Sujith Das has stated that legal action would be initiated in response to the sexual assault allegations. According to Sujith Das, the woman, who had visited his office in 2022 with her brother and child, is known for her frequent complaints against the police.
He noted that her visit was documented in the office’s reception register. Sujith Das contended that the woman’s claims were part of an orchestrated effort to damage his reputation.
He cited a special branch investigation that deemed an earlier complaint against a Station House Officer (SHO) as baseless and dismissed it. The suspended official claimed that the current allegations continue a pattern aimed at undermining his professional and personal life. In response, he expressed his intention to pursue both criminal and civil cases.
Sujith Das further warned that such unfounded allegations could potentially discourage district police chiefs from accepting future complaints.
The decision to suspend Sujith Das was taken by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan following a report from Director General of Police (DGP) Shaik Darvesh Saheb.
The excerpt from his suspension order read, “Government have examined the matter and viewed that the action of Sujith Das S IPS, as prima facie observed, including his public disparagement of senior officials and involvement in unethical practices, represents a serious breach of conduct from a high-ranking officer in the Indian Police Service. These actions are in direct contravention of Rule 18 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, which mandates ‘No member of the Service shall bring or attempt to bring any political or other influence to bear upon any superior authority to further interests in respect of matters pertaining to his service under the Government’. This rule is foundational to ensuring that officers maintain the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct.”
“Moreover, behaviour of this kind poses significant risk to the reputation of the Police Department as a whole. The widespread publicity of his action in the media has already begun to erode public confidence in the law enforcement community. When a senior officer engages in conduct that violates the ethical and professional standards of the service, it not only damages the reputation of the individual but also casts a shadow over the entire Police Department. The telephonic conversation between Sujith Das S IPS and the MLA (PV Anvar) is highly unbecoming of a police officer of All India Service. The Officer has not refuted the above said telephonic conversation,” the order added.
“Considering these aspects Sujith Das is placed under suspension under Rule 3 (1) of All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969 with immediate effect, against contemplated disciplinary action,” it added.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman and Dileep V Kumar)
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