– Agnima Sharma
Sikander alias Jeevanu is accused of raping a minor from his own community
It was a surprising sight to see Muslims in Jaipur gathering in thousands of numbers to raise slogans like Alla Ho Akbar and smashing glasses of Hindu owned cars and houses to protest rape of a minor reported in city on July 1. However, police on July 7, named the criminal right in front of media who was none other than their own community member, Sikander alias Jeevanu who had been a sexual predator for years.
Police officials confirmed that the accused has molested around 40 men and transgenders and 25 minor boys and girls. This regular sex predator was always on a hunt for his target, they added. Police also confirmed Jeevanu to be the man behind another rape reported in the city in the same location on June 22 also. In this case, a four-year-old innocent became the soft target of this man, informed police official.
In both cases, the accused lured the kids, took them to deserted land, and threw them near their houses. The kids were traced by their family members bleeding profusely. Additional police commissioner Laxman Gaur said Sikander (34) was arrested in 2001 on theft charges of theft when he was a minor. This was his first arrest.
In 2004, he lured a kid on behalf of buying bread and molested him in a deserted area. Later, this boy was drowned in a water tank after his molestation. He was given a life-imprisonment in this case, however, in 2015, he came out on bail on fake grounds of getting married.
In fact, an NGO which was instrumental in getting him freed was one who has been inclined towards muslim community. This man on bail continued with his acts of eve teasing and molesting minors. He has around 12 cases registered against him and has been to jail for six times, he added.
Meanwhile, before his arrest and soon after the rape of the minor, thousands of muslim community members ran a terror trail on roads smashing around 100 cars of Hindu owners and their houses with stones. They ran berserk on streets with stones and rods in their hands giving it a sight of Kashmir streets on the night of July 1. They further gathered at Shastri Nagar police station and allegedly attacked policemen too on July 2. Their sloganeering continued here also for many hours and police had to call additional forces to handle the situation. Even the internet services were suspended for five days in 13 police station areas to ensure that law and order in the city was retained.
However, after seven days, police arrested the rape accused Sikander alias Jeevanu from Kota on July 7 which stunned the entire community. Meanwhile, the issue rocked the Rajasthan Assembly as well when Sanganer MLA Ashok Lahoti openly attacked the state government of negligence and sheltering the entire community who were on streets openly pelting stones on cars and houses and attacking the police teams too.
“A seven-year-old girl and a four year old girl were raped in a time span of nine days and the accused was out of police reach for seven days. However, the chief minister of the state had just no time to look into state-related issues as he was busy shunting to Delhi to please the party head to withdraw his resignation,” said Lahoti adding that July 1 has emerged as a shameful date for entire state when a seven year old girl was raped in the Rajasthan capital.
Lahoti further said that this Jivaanu indulged in rape and molestation in around 65 cases has emerged as a ‘Kitaanu’ for society. He was arrested after the city witnessed undeclared curfew kind situation. He also raised questions on why people from one community were given open freedom by the ruling government to come on streets to pelt stones on cars parked on roads as well as on houses and create communal tensions.
Lahoti also questioned that on whose directions were the police officials quiet even when members of a particular community came on streets pelting stones on cars and houses. Who was responsible for protecting one particular community when their members were running freely on streets with stones in their hands. There was an undeclared curfew-kind situation in city. Now people are openly demanding Jivaanu to be hanged to death, he said.
Meanwhile, the rape accused, Sikander alias Jeevanu, was produced in court after being arrested from Kota on Saturday. People thrashed him on the way to court in presence of police and also demanded that he should be handed over to them so that they can teach him a lesson. Even the advocates thrashed him when he was being taken to court. Presently he has been taken to jail and further investigations are on against him.
Meanwhile, a debate has started in the city raising a question if such dreadful criminals should ever be bailed.
