CHANDIGARH: Finally after twelve days, the Special Investigation team (SIT) of Haryana Police on Sunday arrested the two main accused, Pankaj an army personal and Manish, in the Rewari gang rape case. The two have been arrested from Satnali in Mahendragarh, said sources.
Haryana DGP B S Sandhu said with the arrest of Pankaj an army man posted in Kota in Rajasthan and Manish who have been on the run, all the key accused allegedly involved in the incident, have been arrested.
On Friday a Maha Panchayat of 51 villages decided to go on an indefinite dharna from September 24 demanding the arrest of the other two main accused in the case and also to help prevent similar incidents from occurring in future. It had also lashed out at the state government and Haryana police for failing to nab two of the three main accused in the case. Under the leadership of the Sarpanch of the Garhi Bala village Hansraj, the Maha Panchayat had formed a 'Jan Sangharsh committee'.
Also the Rewari and Kosli Bar Associations have decided not to give legal representation to the accused in the gang rape and demanded setting up of a fast track court to expedite the trial.
Earlier this week, the police had arrested another prime accused Nishu Phogat and for second time he in sent to four day police remand recently. While the two others Deendayal and Dr Sanjeev, who were earlier on five-day police remand were sent to fourteen days judicial custody. While Deendayal is the owner of the tubewell where the rape allegedly took place and Sanjeev was the doctor who called by the accused to administer first-aid to the victim after the gang rape but he did not inform the police about it.
The SIT had earlier released photographs of all the accused and a reward of Rs one lakh was also announced on the accused and for helping the police in cracking the case.
The 19 year old was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by three when she was going to her coaching centre in Kanina town of Mahendragarh on September 12. As the accused who were in a car and took her to a farm in Jhaggar where she was gang-raped after being offered a drink laced with sedatives. A few other men who were already there also took turns to rape her --- around twelve men raped her. As per the victim, all the men are from her village. Later, they left her in an unconscious state near a bus stop in Kanina. On getting the information about their girl, her parents rushed to the spot and brought her home.
The rape had caused massive outrage across the country and the police was under pressure to make the arrests soon. As many as 25 police teams had been formed to raid several locations across Rajasthan and Haryana and over hundred people were detained in the case.