Minor alleges gang rape, police file case and make arrests, but say tests do not support claim

New Delhi: A 17-year-old girl alleged that she was gang-raped on Saturday evening in Tikri village in outer Delhi’s Narela by two men who work as sweepers at the

New Delhi: A 17-year-old girl alleged that she was gang-raped on Saturday evening in Tikri village in outer Delhi’s Narela by two men who work as sweepers at the office of a TV news channel, the police said.

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Gaurav Sharma, deputy commissioner of police (outer-north), said that while a case of gang rape was registered against the two 19-year-old men and they were arrested, the medical examination of the survivor did not indicate “a single external injury” or any “symptoms of forceful sexual assault”.

As per the Indian Penal Code, a physical relationship with a minor girl — irrespective of her consent — amounts to rape.

The girl lives with her parents in a village in Narela. On Saturday night, the local police responded to a complaint of a quarrel, only to realise that they were dealing with a hospitalised girl who alleged she was gang-raped by two men.

Sharma said that when the girl alleged gang-rape, a woman counsellor was called to speak to her. “The girl told the counsellor that she knew one of the suspects, as they live in the same neighbourhood. “On Saturday afternoon, the girl called him on his cellphone. They again spoke in the evening and she called him to meet her in Tikri,” said the DCP.

“He arrived with another friend. Together, the three rode a motorcycle to reach the fields of Tikri, where the girl alleged she was gang-raped by the two,” Sharma said.

The alleged crime was revealed when she returned home later that evening, the officer said.

“The medical examination of the girl was conducted. There was not a single external injury detected by the examining doctor and no symptoms of forceful sexual assault have been reported by the doctor,” Sharma said.

The girl has been discharged from the hospital, the officer said.