On August 17, a video of a woman being dragged on a car bonnet in broad daylight in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh surfaced on social media. There have been numerous instances of lawlessness in the state over the past few years. Taking note of the incident, the opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), lashed out at the ruling Congress Government and demanded action. As the video went viral, the police swung into action and registered a complaint against the unidentified accused. The identities of both the accused and the victim are yet to be identified by the police.
What happened?
Sharing a video of the incident, BJP leaders like Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Shehzad Poonawalla questioned the state of lawlessness in Rajasthan. As per the viral video, a woman in red clothes is being dragged by a car as she clings to the bonnet. A few people could also be seen running behind the car in order to stop it.
The driver, however, did not stop and continued driving for 500 meters. The accused and the victim women are yet to be identified by the police.
The viral video
Sharing the video, the BJP leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore wrote on social media platform X (Twitter before), “Under the protection of government, the miscreants held the steering of the crime! Miscreants are dragging a woman on the bonnet of a car in broad daylight in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. Gehlot ji, when such incidents are happening openly with women on a daily basis, do you have any idea what has happened to women in the whole of Rajasthan under your misrule!”
सत्ता के संरक्षण में बदमाशों ने थामी अपराध की स्टेयरिंग !
राजस्थान के हनुमानगढ़ में दिनदहाड़े बदमाश कार के बोनट पर एक महिला को घसीट रहे हैं। गहलोत जी, रोज़ाना सरेआम जब ऐसी वारदात महिलाओं के साथ हो रही हैं तो क्या आपको अंदाज़ा भी है कि पूरे राजस्थान में आपके कुशासन में महिलाओं का… pic.twitter.com/ZvoyTRPuiI
— Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) August 16, 2023
What says the FIR?
Organiser accessed the FIR (number–528/2023) registered in this case on August 16 at the Hanumangarh Junction police station against an unidentified accused.
The statement of a constable, Ramesh Kumar, in the FIR states that he went to the Hanumangarh Bus stand area on August 16 to collect the statement. Then he received a call regarding an SUV dragging a woman. When he reached the spot, no one was there. Upon a little investigation, the constable found a man dragging a woman on his car’s bonnet. When he checked the CCTV footage, he saw the man in a car dragging the woman in a red dress for a few meters, and then she slipped down. She approached the driver’s side, but the car rammed her away and left.
The police action
Following the accident, the police registered a complaint against the unidentified accused under sections 279 (rash driving) and 336 (rash driving leading to endangering human life) of the IPC.
The police informed that after scanning the CCTV visuals, it is now known that the car is registered under the name of a resident of Rawla. No complaint has yet been filed by the woman seen in the video.
Opposition’s reaction
Blaming the state government over the incident, BJP MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said, “Under the protection of power, the miscreants held the steering of the crime!”
“Miscreants are dragging a woman on the bonnet of a car in broad daylight in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. Gehlot ji, when such incidents are happening openly with women on a daily basis, do you have any idea what has happened to women in the whole of Rajasthan under your misrule!” he tweeted in Hindi.
BJP’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also targeted the Gehlot government over the incident. “Daily 10-15 incidents of women atrocities! Bhilwara, Jaipur, Karauli-type incidents shock the conscience. Even Rajendra Gudha and Divya Maderna have spoken out but Rahul, Priyanka won’t utter a word! Gehlot ji says all is well!” he posted on X.
