Murder-accused in MP alleges gang rape by 5 cops for 10 days in prison

Mangalore Today News Network

Bhopal, Oct 19, 2020: A 20-year-old woman, an accused in a murder case, has alleged that she was gang-raped by five police officials for a period of ten days in lock-up, in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district. She accused the policemen of the heinous crime before an additional district judge and a team of lawyers who had gone to inspect the correctional home in Mangawan on October 10.

 

The young woman said that she was kept in the lock-up and gang-raped by the Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), the police station in-charge and three other constables, who then intimidated her into silence. Further, she added that a lady constable, who protested against the crime, was pulled up by her seniors, The Times of India reported. The woman is now in the custody of the police.

After the explosive revelation, the judge ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter and wrote to Rewa SP Rakesh Singh seeking action against the errant cops. However, Singh denied receiving any such letter from the court.

The rape-victim said that she was violated between May 9 and May 21, however, the police claim that she was arrested on May 21, around five days after the murder took place in the village.

“She is a murder accused,” Singh told TOI when asked about the incident. “The woman and a male friend were arrested on May 21 on the basis of call details, mobile location and other evidence. The weapon used in the crime was recovered from a septic tank in the presence of villagers on May 21. Her blood-stained clothes were also recovered. She underwent a medical examination as she was injured in the legs during the struggle with the murder victim,” he said.

The report added that the mobile location of the woman was found to be around 20km from the police station till May 16.

When the inspection team asked the woman why she hadn’t revealed about the incident before, she said that she had informed the prison warden three months ago. Meanwhile, the warden admitted that she was told about the gang-rape, but she “did not believe her”.

Advocate Satish Mishra, who was part of October 10 inspection team, said, “Under Supreme Court orders, legal teams routinely visit female inmates in prison and submit reports. When we went on October 10, she said all this in front of the four of us — additional district judge, law officer of the district legal aid authority and two lawyers, including me. When we asked why she hadn’t spoken up earlier, she said she had told the warden three months ago.”

“Besides, she mentioned that there were policemen in jail when the incident took place, which is why she was scared. She said the accused cops had threatened to implicate her father in the murder case if talked about it,” Mishra added.

Meanwhile, the president of Rewa district bar association, Rajendra Pandey, was quoted in the report, saying, “Her statement was recorded by additional district judge and placed before the chief judicial magistrate, who then submitted it to the district judge. On October 14, the judge ordered a judicial probe and wrote to the SP.”


courtesy: News18