Village Panchayat may exile Aruna Shanbaug’s Attacker

UP village Panchayat to decide if Aruna Shanbaug’s assailant, Sohanlal Valmiki, can stay in their village.

Sohanlal Bhartha Valmiki, Aruna Shanbaug’s rapist (R) and Aruna Shanbaug (L).(Photo: The News Minute)

The thought of living near a “convicted rapist”, seems to have horrified the residents of Parpa village near Hapur in Ghaziabad. For 35 years, Sohanlal Valmiki, the man who sexually assaulted Aruna Shanbaug, has been living in the village.

But now things have changed. According to the headman of Parpa, Joginder Singh, there’s anger in the village, which has been shocked to learn about Sohanlal’s past.

I was born in Parpa and have known Sohanlal for many years. I did not interact a lot with him as he belongs to another caste. We came to know of his history only through media reports. Parpa has always been a peaceful place. Because of him, it has made headlines for the wrong reasons. Many residents are mounting pressure on us to expel Sohanlal.
— Joginder Singh told The Times of India

Singh said that he will go by the wish of the people of the village; if they want him evicted then the panchayat may do so.

Living in Parpa Since 1980

Sohanlal has been living in Parpa village near Hapur in Ghaziabad for 35 years, since being released from a Mumbai prison after serving a seven-year sentence for the assault on Aruna Shanbaug. He worked as a sweeper at a nearby power plant and no one knew of his past crimes.

He Was Framed: Sohanlal’s Family

His Sohanlal’s family continues to claim that he was framed by the Mumbai Police for the 1973 assault at King Edward Memorial Hospital that sent the nurse into coma. Aruna never came out of coma and passed away in May this year, 42 years after that attack.

Missing Since Sunday

Meanwhile, Valmik himself has not been seen, after he left with a TV crew on Saturday. Village residents say he may have gone into hiding since the news about him went public.

The family members blamed the media for Sohanlal’s sudden disappearance, as reported by the Times of India.

My father-in-law was held guilty. He was punished, was jailed for seven years and released in 1980 but he wasn’t charged with sexual assault. He has been leading a peaceful life since. Now, the media is sensationalizing the issue and trying to put my father-in-law behind bars.
— Sohanlal’s daughter-in-law