'It was a dream': IAF man acquitted in molestation case after minor sister-in-law retracts allegation

KANPUR: A special court in Kanpur has acquitted an Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel who was accused of molesting his minor sister-in-law after the complainant told that the alleged incident had occurred in a dream and the alarm she raised was due to a misunderstanding, officials said. The case was registered at Naubasta Police Station on August 3, 2019, based on a complaint filed by a 15-year-old girl. She had alleged that her brother-in-law, Anurag Shukla, molested her earlier that year while she was asleep, according to news agency PTI. According to the FIR, the alleged incident took place on the night of March 8, 2019, when the girl was staying at her sister’s house in Khadepur under the jurisdiction of Naubasta police station.

During the trial, however, the complainant told the court that she had been on antibiotics and was in a semi-conscious state that night. She said she had "felt in a dream" that Shukla had grabbed and molested her, after which she woke up frightened and raised an alarm, defence counsel Karim Ahmad Siddiqui told PTI on Tuesday. Her father, Vijay Tiwari, and elder sister, Shivani Tiwari — who is married to Shukla — also told the court that the complaint had been filed due to a misunderstanding.

Shukla had married Shivani Tiwari on February 10, 2019. At the time of the alleged incident, he was living in Khadepur and has since shifted to Bithoor.Shukla said he was arrested on September 29, 2019, and spent 19 days in jail before being granted bail on October 17 that year. A chargesheet was later filed and the special court framed charges in November 2019 under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, including molestation and sexual assault of a minor. During the trial, the complainant retracted her earlier allegations. Taking note of her testimony and the statements of family members acknowledging the misunderstanding, the special court presided over by Judge Rashmi Singh acquitted Shukla of all charges on March 7, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Shukla stated that the case caused him severe mental stress and damaged his social reputation and career prospects. He said he could not secure a promotion to the rank of corporal in the IAF in 2020 and continues to serve as a leading aircraftman.