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3 convicted in Haryana CBSE topper gangrape case of 2018
Three convicts to be sentenced on Friday, while five other accused acquitted by Narnaul fast-track court
A fast-track court in Haryana’s Narnaul town on Thursday convicted three main accused and acquitted five others in the CBSE topper gangrape case. The sentence of the accused will be pronounced on Friday.
The incident took place on September 12, 2018, when the then 18-year-old CBSE topper on her way to a coaching centre in Mahendragarh district was abducted and raped. A chargesheet was filed against eight accused with Pankaj, Nishu Phogat and Manish being named as the main accused and Deen Dayal, Naveen, Dr Sanjeev, Manjit and Abhishek faced other charges.
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After hearing arguments from both sides, additional district and sessions judge Mona Singh convicted main accused Pankaj, Nishu and Manish, who were booked under Sections 328 (forcibily administering intoxicating substances), 365 (kidnapping) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code. The judge acquitted the five other accused booked under Sections 202, 118 and 216 of the IPC.
Ex-army man from victim’s village convicted
The gangrape made headlines in 2018 after the police booked eight people, including an army man. The police said that the three accused intercepted the girl, who was a state-level kabbadi player when she was on her way to a coaching centre from her native village in Rewari district. She was taken to a field, where the accused’s accomplices joined them.
In her statement, the victim said that Pankaj, who was then in the army and who she knew, and Manish, both residents of her village, met her near Kosli bus stand in Mahendragarh district when she was going to attend her coaching class. They offered her a glass of water after drinking which she fell unconscious. The duo along with Nishu took her in a car to a well in a nearby field and gave me another drink. They raped here there, she had told the police.
Victim’s families allege threat from accused
The accused were arrested four days later. The rape survivor’s family alleged that five accused out on bail and now acquitted used to send threats to them.
A senior police official, who was part of the special investigation team, said the team recorded statements of 23 people in the case.
