(Trigger Warning: Mentions of suicide, rape. If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs)
The father of a minor girl, who was allegedly raped by two men over two months ago in Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun, died by suicide at his house on Monday, 5 June, after allegedly being threatened by the police to retract his daughter's complaint.
The man's family alleged that the police harassed him and delayed the FIR against the rape accused, driving him to take his own life.
A massive crowd gathered outside the man's house on Monday, 5 June, and prevented the police from removing his body. The crowd demanded the arrest of the accused and sought action against the officials responsible for the delay in filing the FIR.
Speaking to the media, Asim Choudhary, ASP Jalaun, said that an FIR has been registered against the rape accused, and the man's body has been sent for post-mortem examination. He added that no note was recovered from the house of the deceased.
What Happened?
The minor girl, who lives with her family in Akorhi village in Jalaun, told the media on Monday that she was raped by two persons, Devendra Ahirwar and Golu – residents of a nearby village, Dhurat – two months ago, when her parents were away for business.
She alleged that the duo threatened to kill her if she told her parents about the incident. The girl was living with her grandmother at the time.
When her parents got back home in May, she told them what happened. Her father went to file a complaint at the Kotwali police station, where he was allegedly threatened by the Circle Officer (CO) Narendra Gautam.
Speaking to the media, the girl's mother said:
"On 30 May, my husband went to the police station to complain that our daughter was raped. But the police threatened him. Nobody was listening to our complaint. They accused us of trapping the persons who raped our daughter. We were at the police station for three days, but we were told to retract our complaint."
"The villagers have raised allegations against the police, and CO Gautam has been directed to submit an explanation within 24 hours. If the allegations are found to be true, then appropriate action will be taken against him and other police officials involved," ASP Asim Choudhary said.
The official added that they are in the process of arresting the accused persons.
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