Assam: POCSO Court Summons IPS Officer in Sexual Assault Case

A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case under Sections 354 and 354A of the Indian Penal Code will proceed against IPS officer Gaurav Upadhyay, in the Special POCSO Court in Assam's Diphu.

The allegations date back to 2021, when Gaurav Upadhyay, a 2012 batch IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh, was serving as the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Karbi Anglong district. Allegations of sexually assaulting a girl in December 2019 were levelled against him. 

In 2019, a party was held at a government bungalow in Diphu, which was reportedly attended by several SPs and other senior officials from various districts. It is alleged that during the event, Upadhyay sexually harassed the minor daughter of a senior female police officer present at the party. 

A case was subsequently registered under the POCSO Act (Case No. 37/2021). A charge sheet, under Indian Penal Code’s Sections 354, 354 A (assault or criminal force to outrage modesty, sexual harassment) and the POCSO, was filed. 

Sources said that, seeking relief from the case, Gaurav Upadhyay had approached the Gauhati High Court. However, the court declined to grant him any exemption. In light of this, the Special Judicial Magistrate of the POCSO Court in Diphu, R. Lal, issued an order on June 18, 2025, directing Gaurav Upadhyay to appear before the court on July 21 in connection with the case.

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