MP cops abused and turned away gang-rape victim, booked for delaying FIR

The victim was broken after he rape and the treatment meted out by the police and took her own life on Friday.

Another cop was booked in Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur district on Saturday for allegedly refusing to lodge a first information report (FIR) of an alleged gang-rape victim, who died by suicide on Friday, said police.

The cops, however, claim that the rape victim’s complaint was very vague and therefore not registered.(Courtesy: Police Headquarters website)

The police also arrested two more accused- one for the gang-rape and the other for abetment to causing death by suicide.

However, police officers alleged that the FIR was not lodged since the woman’s complaint on September 28—the day of the incident-- and also on subsequent days, was vague. They also refused to share the details of her post-mortem report on Saturday.

On Saturday, Chichli police station in-charge sub inspector Anil Singh was booked under section 166A for non-recording of information under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Earlier on Friday evening, Gotitoriya police outpost in-charge assistant sub-inspector Mishrilal Kodapa was booked and arrested under the same provision of IPC. Both have been suspended, said Ajay Singh, superintendent of police, Narsinghpur.

Police also arrested the third accused in the gang-rape case and the second accused in the abetment to suicide case on Saturday. Earlier, two accused in gang-rape case and one of the two accused in the abetment to suicide case—including a woman-- were arrested on Friday. All the accused are from the victim’s village, said the SP.

The 32-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped on September 28. Her husband said, “We tried to lodge FIR first at Gotitoria police outpost and then at Chichli police station...but the police personnel lodged my elder brother and I in the lock-up and abused my wife.”

“Upset with the treatment of police and the rape, my wife ended her life,” he added.

The superintendent of police (SP) Ajay Singh said, “Police are interrogating the accused and further investigation is on.”

(With inputs from Monika Pandey)