IAF personnel acquitted in POCSO case after minor says 'assault' was in a dream

A special court in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh has acquitted an Indian Air Force personnel, Anurag Shukla , of molestation and sexual assault charges in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case after the complainant testified that the alleged incident she reported more than seven years ago did not occur in reality but was a dream and a misunderstanding .

The case dates back to March 8, 2019 , when the complainant, then a 15‑year‑old girl, claimed that Shukla had molested her while she was asleep at her sister’s house in Khadepur under the Naubasta police station limits in Kanpur district. An FIR was eventually registered on August 3, 2019 , based on her father’s complaint, nearly five months after the incident she alleged. Shukla was arrested on September 29, 2019 , and spent 19 days in jail before being granted bail on October 17, 2019 . Charges were framed against him under relevant provisions of the POCSO Act in November 2019 .

During the lengthy trial, the girl told the special court that she had been taking antibiotics on the night of the incident and was in a semi‑conscious state, which caused her to “feel in a dream” that Shukla had grabbed and molested her. Startled by the dream, she said she woke up frightened and raised an alarm. Defence counsel Karim Ahmad Siddiqui told PTI that the girl’s earlier complaint stemmed from that dream and a subsequent misunderstanding.

The complainant’s father, Vijay Tiwari , and her elder sister Shivani Tiwari , who is married to Shukla, also told the court that the complaint had been lodged under a misunderstanding, further weakening the prosecution’s case.

Taking note of the complainant’s retraction and statements from family members, the special court, presided over by Judge Rashmi Singh , acquitted Shukla of all charges on March 7, 2026 , holding that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.

Shukla, a resident of Bithoor in Kanpur district who continues to serve as a leading aircraftman in the Indian Air Force, said the drawn‑out case had caused him “severe mental stress” and damaged his social reputation and career prospects. He claimed the case cost him a promotion to the rank of corporal in 2020 .

Several news reports note that this case highlights the potential impact of false or misunderstood allegations on individuals’ lives and careers , particularly in sensitive POCSO matters where initial testimony later changes substantially. Observers say it underscores the challenges courts face in balancing the presumption of innocence with protection of minors, especially when evidence and witness statements evolve during a long trial.