Women’s body seeks police report on ‘gang-rape’ death

The Maharashtra State Women’s Commission has taken cognisance of the death of a 19-year-old HIV positive woman, who was allegedly gang-raped by four people in Chembur

The Maharashtra State Women’s Commission has taken cognisance of the death of a 19-year-old HIV positive woman, who was allegedly gang-raped by four people in Chembur in July, and has directed Mumbai Police to carry out a thorough investigation and take swift action. The commission has also sought the investigation report of the case till date from the police.

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Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson of the State Women’s Commission, confirmed the development. The commission took cognizance of the matter after the family of the woman refused to allow post-mortem on the body and refused to accept her body in Aurangabad.

The teenager, who was allegedly gang-raped by four people on July 7, died at the government hospital in Aurangabad on Wednesday after undergoing treatment for more than 45 days. The woman was unconscious through her treatment at the hospital and hence her statement could not be recorded, the police said.

Lakhmi Gautam, additional commissioner of police (East region), said, “Post-mortem could not be conducted of the girl as the family has not given consent to the hospital authority yet. We have given a fresh set of queries to the doctors who would be conducting autopsy.”

Earlier, the brother of the woman had alleged that the police and hospital authorities were suppressing the matter. “The doctors and the police did not take the case seriously. They are also not investigating it properly,” he had said. Sashi Kumar Meena, deputy commissioner of police, zone 6, had earlier said, “The facts given by the victim’s family in the FIR are vague and imprecise in nature and most of it could not be corroborated during the investigation.”

The victim did not tell her family members about the alleged incident before being admitted to a hospital. She reportedly told her father about the sexual assault through signs, the police had said. Doctors at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Aurangabad, had also said the woman did not have any external injury when she was brought to the hospital.