On August 3, the Bhilwara police arrested as many as four miscreants for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl and later burning her in a kiln in Bhilwara, Rajasthan. The girl went missing the same day, and her parents informed the police about it. The pictures of the charred remains of the girl’s body went viral on social media.
What happened?
According to reports, the body of the girl was discovered on August 3 near a brick kiln. The victim was a native of Narsinghpura village in the Girdiya Panchayat region of the Shahpura district. She went to graze goats in the field with her parents. Unfortunately, she was separated from her parents.
Later, the parents began searching for her but failed to find her anywhere. When she did not return home by the evening, the family rushed to the police station. Notably, the police did not file any missing person report in this case.
The Press Note
On August 3, around 11 pm, the Bhilwara police from their official Twitter account shared a press note stating, they have arrested four accused linked with the crime. But did not disclose their names.
The statement reads as, the Kotdi police received information regarding a minor going missing on August 3. Soon, the police teams swung into action and started to locate her. The villagers and the police teams found the slipper of the minor in the fields. Near the fields was a brick kiln, and after looking there, the police found her belongings and the body.
#BhilwaraPolice
बालिका से दुष्कर्म व हत्या की घटना का 10 घण्टे में खुलासा,
04 आरोपी गिरफ्तार।#RajasthanPolice @PoliceRajasthan @RajPoliceHelp @IgpAjmer @DmBhilwara pic.twitter.com/F2KxRzCKmA— Bhilwara Police (@Bhilwara_Police) August 3, 2023
Citing the seriousness of the matter the Kotdi police immediately registered a case under sections of the rape, murder and the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offense) Act.
What did the police say?
Police said upon receiving the information, they reached the spot and detained three persons from there who had confessed to the family about the alleged gang rape and murder before the police’s arrival.
“Police have also recovered the girl’s bracelets and shoes. A forensic team has been probed considering the seriousness of the matter. A DNA test will also be conducted of the bone samples found at the furnace for further investigation,” said Bhilawar police superintendent (SP) Adarsh Sindhu.
Kotri police station house officer (SHO) Khivraj Singh said that the accused have been taken into custody and are being interrogated. “The family is in the process of filing the formal report. We are waiting on the forensics report for further investigation,” Singh said.
“We received a complaint about a minor girl who was missing from Narsinghpura village. While searching for the girl, locals spotted the girl’s bangles and body remains in the coal furnace, raised suspicion of the minor girl being killed and later thrown into the furnace,” officials with Kotri police station said.
“At first glance, it appears that a minor girl was killed and burned to death. The police have rounded up 4 people. Only the FSL team and doctors can confirm whether or not there was a gang rape in this incident,” SP Bhilwara Adarsh Siddhu said.
What did the victim’s family say?
According to the girl’s brother, she went missing after leaving home in the morning to graze the cattle.
“We started looking for her in the afternoon when the cattle returned but my sister didn’t return with them,” he said.
He added, later in the night around 10 pm they reached the coal furnace area looking for her and noticed human bones in one of the furnaces which was burning despite rainfall and informed the police immediately.
What did the activists say?
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Gurjar Mahasabha president and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kalulal Gurjar reportedly reached the spot and called on the district collector and the SP before conducting any forensics test of the samples.
BJP youth leader Vikram Goud to Twitter to slam the Congress government over its failure in ensuring women’s safety in the state, “Tragic! In Rajasthan, a minor girl was brutally raped and thrown in a brick kiln. Locals recovered her burnt body. Women’s safety in Rajasthan under Congress rule has become a joke,” Goud tweeted.
Tragic!
In Rajsthan a minor girl was brutally raped & thrown in a coal furnace. Locals recovered her burnt body.Women's safety in Rajsthan under Congress rule has become a joke. pic.twitter.com/UrolgmcjSC
— Vikram Goud (@VikramGoudINC) August 3, 2023
Law and order in Rajasthan
On July 20, Organiser reported a case from Jodhpur, the home district of CM Gehlot. Here, a family of four was charred to death including an infant.
The murder shook the whole state, and there have been debates and questions on the state of law and order in the region. Many top officers and forensic teams were camping in the village, and the police arrested the accused.
The opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has condemned and questioned the Ashok Gehlot government over the Jodhpur incident. The state BJP unit raised questions over the law and order situation in the state.
In a Twitter post, the party wrote, “If this is the state of law and order in the Chief Minister’s home district, what will be the condition elsewhere?”
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, a Member of Parliament from Bikaner, alleged that as many as 17 rapes and seven murders have been reported in Rajasthan daily since the Congress government came to power.
Notably, on July 21, the Minister of State, Rajendra Singh Gudha, was sacked by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for questioning his own Government at the State legislative assembly.
Days after being sacked from cabinet following his critical remarks against the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan Government over recent incidents of crimes against women in the State, Rajendra Singh Gudha on July 23 said, “Rajasthan is number one when it comes to crime against women.”
