Four Army Personnel Rape Deaf-Mute Woman at Pune Hospital

The alleged offence took place between January and June 2015 at the Military Hospital in Pune’s Khadki suburb.

Representational image from an anti-rape protest. 

(Photo: Reuters)

Four men working with the Indian Army have been booked for allegedly raping and molesting a 34-year-old speech and hearing-impaired woman employee of a military hospital in Pune in 2015, police said on Wednesday, 17 October.

Besides the police, the army too is conducting a 'court of inquiry' against the four personnel, who also worked in the same military hospital at the time.

The alleged offence took place between January and June 2015 at the Military Hospital Kirkee in Pune’s Khadki suburb. The woman has been working at the facility since 2014.

"According to the woman's complaint, she was on night duty (at the hospital) when she was allegedly raped by one of the accused, who at the time was posted at the hospital," a senior police official said.

When the survivor told another personnel about the incident, he initially told her that he would reprimand the "accused".

"But, he too sought sexual favours from her by threatening her to make the message viral, and allegedly raped her. After some days, two more personnel approached the woman and allegedly took advantage of her," the police official said.

The woman, a class IV employee at the hospital, had approached an NGO in Indore, Madhya Pradesh earlier this year. The NGO subsequently approached the Indore police.

On Tuesday night, the Indore police informed about the matter to their Pune counterpart, who have registered a case against the four personnel under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 354 (molestation), he said.

Meanwhile, an official of the Indian Army's Southern Command said they were conducting an inquiry into the matter.

"The court of inquiry was initiated well before the police complaint was registered," the official said.