The girl’s family said they were threatened against going to police to register a complaint. The girl returned home on October 3, but for two days the family didn’t gather courage to lodge a case against the rape accused and his accomplices who helped him kidnap the girl
A 17-year-old Dalit girl from a village in Jaipur district was allegedly kidnapped and repeatedly raped by an upper caste man over two days, police said.
Police registered a case of kidnap and rape on October 8 and arrested the accused on October 9.
The girl’s family said they were threatened against going to police to register a complaint. The girl returned home on October 3, but for two days the family didn’t gather courage to lodge a case against the rape accused and his accomplices who helped him kidnap the girl.
Activists who helped the family register the case said police sat over the family’s complaint for three days.
“The victim and her family went to Pragpura police station on October 5 to lodge the case, but the FIR was not filed until October 8. The police delayed the girl’s medical examination further by a day, showing their reluctance to act in the case,” said activist Kailash Mina.
“A few upper caste men from a nearby village were harassing me for past 4-5 months,” the girl told HT. On October 1, they forced the girl to come to Kotputli, a town on Jaipur-Delhi highway, and kidnapped her.
“After dragging me into a car, they gave me a drink laced with sedatives. When I gained consciousness, I was in Jaipur. Vinod Tanwar raped me repeatedly over two days before I managed to run out and reach Sindhi Camp bus stand. I called my family from there,” the girl said.
“Apart from Tanwar, I had named Gurjar and three other people. But while registering the FIR, the cops have made only Tanwar accused and haven’t even named Gurjar who was actively involved in the kidnapping,” she said.
The case against Tanwar has been registered at the Pragpura police station under IPC sections (rape, kidnapping, punishment for criminal intimidation), and relevant sections of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and SC/ST Act.
The victim said upper caste people in the village pressured her family to withdraw the case.
“The family members of the victim were not allowed by upper caste men to go to the police station for two days after her return; they tried to convince the victim and her family to withdraw the case. Even now they are facing threats,” said local activist Radheshyam Suklawas.
Mina demanded that the other accused named by the victim be added to the FIR. “The purposeful delay on part of the police shows that there are efforts to shield the accused.”
The police said Tanwar has been arrested. “We have arrested Tanwar on Monday and any decision on including other people in the list of accused will be taken after further investigation,” said Mahmood Khan, circle officer, Kotputli.
