JODHPUR/JAIPUR: A 17-year-old girl who had eloped with her boyfriend was allegedly gang-raped by three college students in front of him in Rajasthan's Jodhpur in the early hours of Sunday, police said. NDTV reported that the victim was a Dalit.
The three accused, who thrashed the victim's boyfriend before taking turns to rape her, were arrested hours after the incident, they said.
The girl eloped with her boyfriend from Ajmer on Saturday. They took a bus to Jodhpur and reached there around 10:30 pm.
Later, they went to a guest house to get a room but left after the caretaker there, Suresh Jat, misbehaved with the girl, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Amrita Duhan.
The two then went to Paota Chauraha, where the three accused -- Samandar Singh Bhati, Dharmpal Singh and Bhattam Singh (aged 20-22) -- approached them, she said.
The accused befriended the girl and her boyfriend, and offered them food and cold drinks, the DCP said.
When the girl and her boyfriend told the accused about themselves, the three assured them of help.
Around 4 am, the accused took them to the hockey ground at the old campus of Jai Narayan Vyas University (JNVU) on the pretext of taking them to the railway station, Duhan said.
After reaching the ground, they thrashed the boy and held him hostage while they raped the girl, she said.
As morning walkers started reaching the campus, the accused fled the spot. The girl's boyfriend sought help from the morning walkers, who informed the police, she added.
Police swung into action and launched a hunt for the accused. A dog squad and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team were also at the spot.
Hours after the incident, the accused were traced to a house in Ganeshpura near Ratanada in Jodhpur.
They tried to flee but were injured after they fell. While two of them fractured their legs while trying to flee, the third sustained an injury in the hand, Duhan said. "We arrested all of them after treatment," she said.
Samandar Singh is a first-year student at JNVU, Dharm Pal Singh is a post-graduation student at JNVU and Bhattam Singh is pursuing B.Ed from Ajmer, the officer said.
Police said they have also arrested the guest house caretaker for misbehaving with the girl.
A case has been registered against them under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as per media reports.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot spoke to Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra about the incident in Jodhpur, his home town, and instructed him to ensure strict punishment to the accused.
Incidentally, hours before the incident, Rajasthan Chief Secretary Usha Sharma and Director General of Police Umesh Mishra had held a meeting to review the law and order situation in the state.
A senior police official also said the accused were canvassing for a student leader who is seeking a ticket from the RSS' student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for student union elections. The ABVP, however denied all links with the accused.
Meanwhile, in Jaipur, Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) president Abhishek Choudhary said the student group will give a representation to the governor against the ABVP on Monday.
CM Gehlot slams BJP for 'false allegations' against govt
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that it did not condemn heinous crimes against women. He tweeted, "Our daughters deserve safety and respect. Rape incidents are a stigma for civilized society. No matter how much you condemn such heinous acts, it will remain less. But instead of condemning such incidents, BJP leaders always start making false allegations against the government for political gains."
The CM further lashed out at BJP National President JP Nadda and said, "Today, JP Nadda remained silent on these incidents and did not even condemn these incidents, which shows the seriousness of the BJP on women's safety."
Nadda had launched a state-wide campaign 'Nahi Sahega Rajasthan' ('Rajasthan will not tolerate anymore') against the Ashok Gehlot-led government in Jaipur on Sunday and released a theme video that highlighted crime against women in the state, the killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, communal riots, and other issues.
Targeting the Gehlot government, Nadda alleged that it loots and tortures people and has broken all records of atrocities against Dalits, tribals, women, children and the poor.
Gehlot also praised the Rajasthan police for arresting the accused in Jodhpur in just two hours.
"The promptness with which the Rajasthan Police arrested the accused involved in the rape of a minor girl in Jodhpur in just two hours is commendable. No matter how influential the accused is, the state government will give the harshest punishment to the culprits to get justice for the innocent daughter," he added in his tweet.
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(With inputs from PTI)