19-Year-Old Gang Rape Victim Dies; NCP, Congress Demand SIT Probe

The rape victim died on Wednesday in Aurangabad. Nobody has been arrested in the case yet.

Image used for representational purposes only.

(Photo: PTI)

The opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress on Friday, 30 August, slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Maharashtra over the gang rape of a 19-year-old woman, who died earlier this week, and demanded a Special investigation team (SIT) probe.

The NCP, led by party MP Surpriya Sule, led a protest march in the city.

The victim, who was allegedly raped by her friends in Mumbai in the first week of July, died at a hospital in Aurangabad in central Maharashtra on Wednesday. Nobody has been arrested in the case yet.  

Sule, accompanied by NCP Mumbai chief Nawab Malik and Member of Legislative Council Vidya Chavan, demanded that an SIT be formed for the probe.

Govt Trying to Muzzle Voices: NCP MP

The party took out a protest march from Lal Dongar in suburban Chembur to Chunabhatti Police Station, where the case has been registered.

"The probe is not being conducted in a proper manner. The matter has to be investigated through SIT. We will not relent till the victim gets justice," Sule told reporters after meeting officials at the police station.

She alleged that the victim's father was being "pressurised". "The government is trying to muzzle voices . This government is insensitive about women's safety. Women are not getting justice," said Sule.

The alleged gang-rape came to light on 24 July when the victim woman was admitted to a hospital in Aurangabad, around 325 km from here, after complaining of pain in private parts.

The doctors suspected that she had been raped and informed the police.

As per the police complaint, on 7 July the woman came to Mumbai where she lived with her brother.

She attended a birthday celebration at a friend's house, where four of her friends allegedly raped her. However, she did not disclose the incident to her parents.

The victim's mother told a Marathi news channel that the family wanted justice.

“What happened with my daughter should not happen to other girls. My daughter should get justice. We want justice.”

Victim’s mother

Sule later met the state Director General of Police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal with the victim's brother, and sought police protection for the family.

Shiv Sena leader and Deputy Chairperson of Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe said that she had instructed the police to trace the accused and ensure that charge sheet is filed properly.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar asked if the police were trying to shield someone.

"Why were the police waiting for a month?" he asked, demanding an SIT probe and immediate arrest of the culprits.

Targeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, the Congress leader alleged that he does not have control over the department.

Mumbai Police to Submit a Report on Probe

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson, State Commission for Women, said it has asked Mumbai Police to submit a report on the probe so far.

The commission has taken the issue very seriously and asked the police to take steps to arrest the culprits, she added.