The state of law and order remains in question with rising crime in the state of Rajasthan, by the opposition parties. There are rising crimes against women and a similar case was reported on September 9, from the Bhilwara district where a woman was found naked with claims that she had been gang-raped.
The Rajasthan police were caught taking a U-turn in this case by deleting posts where they claimed that the victim was lying about the gang-rape. Shockingly, in subsequent posts the police handle on social media platform ‘X’ themselves admitted that the victim underwent gang-rape and dedicated action has been taken against the culprits.
Bhilwara Gang Rape
On September 9, 2023, a woman who had claimed to be gang-raped by three men was discovered naked on a road. She claimed that after gang-raping her, the three people escaped with her clothes. Later, when the woman was observed pleading for help on the street, no one helped her because they thought she was mentally ill. Law enforcement officials responded to the notice and went to the location to save the woman.
Police claimed that the entire incident was a lie and that she had consensual intercourse with two other men rather than being gang-raped. They planned to detain her for the full night, but she didn’t want to stay, so she allegedly fled.
Gangapur CO Labhuram Bishnoi had said, “On Saturday night, a villager informed that a woman was found naked, 6-7 km from Gangapur. She has been gang-raped. On receiving this information, the police reached the spot, took the woman to Gangapur Hospital and got her medically examined. A team has been formed against the unidentified accused. The matter is serious, strict action will be taken.”
According to reports, the location of the incident is a mere 100 steps from the CO office.
The woman somehow reached the street, catching the attention of a passing motorcyclist. She told him that she had been gang-raped and asked for help, after which the passerby contacted the Gangapur police and provided them with the necessary information.
What said the police?
Police later asserted that the woman was actually with the males who gang-raped her and that the entire incident was not true. Police claim that they discovered a voice recording on the victim’s phone that was discovered at the scene and that it revealed the circumstances of the crime.
The 25-year-old woman is from Odisha, according to the authorities, and she was married to a 50-year-old crippled man through a broker six years ago. According to phone records, she spoke with Chhotu Sargara, an individual from Amli Gangapur, between 7 and 7.51 PM. She was informed by Chhotu Sargara that Girdhari wanted to meet her and that they were friends. The woman used to be acquainted with Girdhari. During this call, money-related topics were discussed.
The woman agreed to meet them accordingly, and she came out of the house after having dinner. The police claim that each of the three went to a building’s ruins close to the Amli Road and had sex with her individually. She objected when the two men insisted on keeping her all night and wanted to return home. Money-related disagreements also arose. They got into a fight over it, and the accused stole her clothing and wouldn’t give it back. She became frightened as a result and rushed nude towards the road. She was discovered by a passerby, who cloaked her with a shawl and dialled 911.
Police said that the woman gave wrong facts in the beginning due to the fear of her husband, as she feared that he would leave her if he knew the fact.
The acceptance by police and deleted post
The woman who was discovered naked on Aamli Road on September 10th at 11:05 AM was neither kidnapped nor subjected to a gang-rape, reads a statement released by Rajasthan Police through its official account on platform X. They said that the police discovered the woman “lied” because she was afraid of her husband over the course of the investigation. Additionally, the police stated in a subsequent post that her medical was completed at the hospital and that they discovered call logs with the accused on her phone.
The culprit was taken into custody, according to a statement from Bhilwara Police released at 2:59 PM. The kidnapping report was deemed to be false, but the police firmly said that gang rape was confirmed. The woman knew the defendants. The post confirmed that they raped her, and she ran away.
#BhilwaraPolice भीलवाड़ा के गंगापुर थाना क्षेत्र में महिला के साथ गैंगरेप के दोनों आरोपी गिरफ्तार।#RajasthanPolice @PoliceRajasthan pic.twitter.com/5BSJosEulc
— Bhilwara Police (@Bhilwara_Police) September 10, 2023
She was not gang-raped, read another statement from Rajasthan Police’s official X account at 3:45 PM, which added that the culprits had been detained. Contrary to their earlier denial, the police later tweeted that an investigation had determined that the woman had been the victim of forcible sexual assault.
पुलिस ने करवाया पीड़िता का मेडिकल और इलाज के लिए अस्पताल ले जाया गया, मौके पर #FSL भी बुलाई गई। पीड़िता के मोबाइल में आरोपियों से फ़ोन पर हुई वॉइस रिकॉर्डिंग भी मिली।
इसमें जबरन शारीरिक संबंधी बनाने के आरोप ने २ गिरफ़्तार।
— Rajasthan Police (@PoliceRajasthan) September 10, 2023
Later, The post where they claimed the woman was not gang raped was deleted.
With current revelations, abduction charges may be dismissed, but they may still face additional charges for trying to detain her against her will, forcing intercourse, and removing her clothes. The Rajasthan Police later amended their first statement, saying that although the woman went with the men voluntarily and there was no “kidnapping,” the sexual activities were confirmed during the medical examination.
Notably, Rajasthan is becoming a hotbed for crime against women and the state administration remains mum about them. There is a long list of cases which can be seen here.
