Rape victim commits suicide after accused gets clean chit in UP’s Gonda

In September last year, the victim and her husband had attempted self-immolation outside Vidhan Bhawan in Lucknow to highlight her plight.

A 35-year-old rape victim committed suicide by hanging herself from the roof of her residence in Kernalganj area of Gonda district on Monday, a fortnight after the two rape accused got a clean chit from district police.

The victim, a mother of two, had accused Shankar Dayal and his brother Ashok Kumar, also of Kernalganj area, of raping her several times in August last year.(Representative image)

In September last year, the victim and her husband had attempted self-immolation outside Vidhan Bhawan in Lucknow to highlight her plight. They then had accused the police of laxity in the investigation.

The victim, a mother of two, had accused Shankar Dayal and his brother Ashok Kumar, also of Kernalganj area, of raping her several times in August last year. The case was investigated first by the local police and then by the district crime branch. Both the investigation officers gave a clean chit to accused in December. The two accused are absconding.

Following the suicide, superintendent of police of Gonda RP Singh suspended both the investigating officers and sent the station house officer (SHO) of Kernalganj to the police lines.

The Gonda police had lodged an FIR on August 7 under section 376D (gang rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC along with relevant sections of IT Act against the accused.

The victim’s husband said, “The accused had not just raped her but also made a video clip of the act. She was very upset when police gave the accused a clean chit, and so committed suicide.”