Two men chased, dragged, and allegedly gang raped a 22-year-old woman with a hearing impairment in a deserted field at Bahadurpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur, metres from a police post on Monday night.
A 14-second video from a camera near the police superintendent’s residence showing the woman running in distress went viral on social media even as two suspects, Ankur Verma, 21, and Harshit Pandey, 22, sustained injuries as they tried to evade arrest.
Opposition Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav posted the video and questioned the law and order situation in the state. “Would those who claim to uphold law and order like to look the public in the eye and say something about this case? Ensure that the victim is provided with every possible relief, assistance, and medical care. The culprits should be given the strictest punishment, and no pretence of an encounter should be made.”
All four CCTV cameras were non-functional at the police post in Bahadurpur, which houses residences of top district police and administrative officers.
The woman’s family said she was returning home around 8pm when the men spotted her. She could not call for help because of her impairment. The family began looking for her when she did not reach home by 9pm and found her unconscious in the field. She was hospitalised and doctors said her condition was stable. The family said she kept crying and conveyed her ordeal through gestures.
{{/usCountry}}The woman’s family said she was returning home around 8pm when the men spotted her. She could not call for help because of her impairment. The family began looking for her when she did not reach home by 9pm and found her unconscious in the field. She was hospitalised and doctors said her condition was stable. The family said she kept crying and conveyed her ordeal through gestures.
{{/usCountry}}Brijanand Singh, a local police officer, said a case has been filed, and experts were being consulted for the investigation as the woman communicated through gestures.