JAIPUR: The case of police allegedly beating and gangraping a woman, whose brother-in-law had died in police custody in Churu district has been flaring up in Rajasthan with the opposition BJP targeting guns at the government in the state assembly.
After the victim's complaint on Saturday, 6-7 policemen from the Sardarshahr Police station along with SHO Ranveer Singh have been booked for raping and torturing the woman . Earlier when the incident came to light, the SHO and six other policemen were suspended. Remaining 26 policemen of the station were ousted to police lines and a judicial inquiry has been ordered.
On Tuesday, Bheem army in Churu and Nayak community protested in Jaipur alleging that the entire state machinery is at work to save these policemen. The Dalit community is also aggrieved for not including the murder section in the the gang-rape case of Dalit women by the police.
Representatives of the Nayak community met CM Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday and have asked for murder charges to be included in the case, arresting of the accused, giving compensation to the victim's family and handing over the case to the CBI.
"Police is trying to save their personnel. Earlier the case was also not registered until the victim herself did not give a statement. Now the murder section has also not been included", said Rameshwar Nayak, district president of All India Nayak Mahasabha.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Gulab Chand Kataria raised questions over the working of police in the state. "They tried to subdue the matter by making the victim's family go from one place to another. The family had to approach the DGP on July 13th which means that other policemen did not hear their complaint," he said.
Replying to this, state Law & Legal Affairs minister Shaniti Dhariwal said that death of the youth is being investigated under a woman officer at the SP level. "We agree that the youth died in police custody. When the judicial enquiry starts, the police cannot interfere. Between 3rd to 13th July there was no complaint registered which is why inquiry could not be started earlier," he said.
Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore walked out of the assembly unsatisfied over the government's response on the case. The matter intensified further when senior Congress leader and Sardarshahr MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma said that the charges of rape are baseless. "Their could not have been a rape as the victim claims she got raped on 3rd while the complaint was registered on 7th. On the issue of removal of nails of the woman, it can easily be checked. The rape and removal of nails is a false claim," said Bhanwarlal.
After the death of Nemichand in police custody on the night of July 6, the deceased's sister-in-law has accused more than half a dozen policemen of gang rape. The family has alleged that since the victim is an eyewitness in the case of death of her brother in law, the police tortured her.
Based on the woman's statement, an FIR against the then SHO and five to seven other policemen was registered . The case has been registered under sections 376-D (gangrape), 343 (wrongful confinement for three or more days), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the SC and ST (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act.