Woman stripped on Patna street had been raped

The 22-year-old woman who was stripped on a busy Patna street on Thursday was raped a day earlier.

The 22-year-old woman who was stripped on a busy Patna street on Thursday was raped a day earlier.

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The incident sparked widespread outrage. National Commission for Women chairman Girija Vyas said she was “shocked to see TV footage” of the incident and asked the Bihar government for a report.

Police probe ordered

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered a high-level police probe even as the Opposition disrupted proceedings in the assembly over the incident.

A day after the incident, there were conflicting versions of what exactly had taken place, but a medical examination of the victim confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted.

Different versions

Speaking to HT on condition of anonymity, a police officer, who is not authorised to speak to the media, said: “One Rakesh Singh, who brought the woman to Patna from Jasidih (Jharkand), forced her to have sex with two of his associates.”

A second version said the victim was a sex worker who had stayed with Singh at a local hotel for three days and “entertained” his friends. On Thursday, a dispute arose over money, and she stomped out of the hotel with his mobile phone.

Both versions agreed that Singh, arrested after the incident, caught her while she was trying to escape — and tore off her clothes in the melee that followed. HT could not independently confirm the truth.

The woman, who will be produced in court on Saturday to record her statement, reportedly told the police she was a mother of two and her husband was a carpenter in Kolkata.

FIRs registered

The Patna police have registered three FIRs relating to physical assault, assault on the modesty of a woman and immoral trafficking, based on her statement, DIG (Central Range) J S Gangwar said.
Singh’s associates who allegedly raped the woman are absconding, but the manager of the hotel where they were staying has been arrested.

Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad said a probe would serve no purpose as people have taken the law into their own hands.