Kolkata woman visiting Chandigarh raped in auto in Sector 17

The Kolkata woman, who had hired the auto for the bus stand in Sector 17, was rescued by three home guard volunteers

Taking advantage of the night curfew, an auto-rickshaw driver raped a 35-year-old Kolkata woman near General Post Office in Sector 17, Chandigarh, late on Sunday night.

The auto driver has been arrested. He had picked the Kolkata woman from the Chandigarh railway station and was supposed to drop her at the ISBT in Sector 17. (HT Photo)

The woman, who had hired the auto for the bus stand in Sector 17, was rescued by three home guard volunteers. The accused, identified as Jai Dev, 27, of Darua village, was later arrested. He was produced in court on Monday and sent to judicial custody.

The case is a grim reminder of the 2017 incident wherein a 21-year-old woman hailing from Dehradun, who was in the city to attend stenography classes, was gangraped by an auto driver and his two aides at a forest area in Sector 53.

In the present case, the victim had come to the city to meet a friend at Mauli Jagran. After not finding the friend home nor having any contact number, she went to the railway station. However, as there was no train available, she hired Jai Dev’s auto around 10pm to go the ISBT in Sector 17, from where she was to take a bus to Delhi.

After reaching Sector 17, the accused took a slip road and allegedly raped the victim in the auto near the General Post Office, which is situated just half a kilometre from the police post. The victim told police that Jai Dev had first touched her inappropriately, and when she objected, he assaulted and threatened to kill her.

“Hearing her cries, three home guard volunteers posted at the Haryana mini secretariat came to her rescue,” said Charanjit Singh, deputy superintendent of police (DSP, central). However, the auto driver managed to escape.

The victim then called police with the help of home guard volunteers around midnight. The victim could not remember the auto’s number, but shared a few details about the driver’s physical appearance. “The accused was arrested on the basis of his physical description provided by the victim,” said Om Parkash, station house officer (SHO), Sector 17.

The auto used in the crime has also been impounded. The accused has been booked under Sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Police are recommending award for the three home guard volunteers who rescued the victim, said DSP Charanjit Singh.

After the 2017 rape, the Chandigarh administration had put in place many safeguards, including making police verification mandatory to ply auto-rickshaws. It is also mandatory to paste laminated information behind the driver’s seat displaying names, mobile numbers and photos of the auto owner and driver. However, the rules are often flouted.