A woman from West Bengal, who died of COVID-19 symptoms on 30 April, was allegedly raped by two men while she was going to join the farmers' protest along the Tikri border, just days before her death.
According to news agency PTI, the woman was admitted to a hospital in Haryana's Jhajjar district with COVID symptoms on 26 April.
“She died on April 30,” Bahadurgarh police officer Vijay Kumar said, adding that the woman’s father then filed a case of rape against two men, reported NDTV. A team has been formed to track the accused, he added.
According to the complaint, the woman had gone from West Bengal to join the protest in Tikri on 10 April. She was allegedly raped by two men who belonged to 'Kisan Social Army' – a group that was also present to support the protest.
The incident is suspected to have occurred one week before she was admitted. Samyukta Kisan Morcha released a statement on 10 May.
“When this came to the notice of the SKM, we decided to take the strictest possible action. Four days ago, the Tikri committee of SKM had already removed the tents and banners of the so-called ‘Kisan Social Army’. The accused were barred from participating in the movement and public appeal issued for their social boycott. The SKM has made it clear that the ‘Kisan Social Army’ was never the authorized social media voice of the SKM and none of its handles have anything to do with the movement.”Samyukta Kisan Morcha
In the statement, the SKM also added that it recognised large-scale participation of women farmers and called women leaders the 'unique strength' of this movement.
"We wish to assure all women farmers and womens’ organisations that there shall be no compromise with women’s freedom, their autonomy and their agency," the statement said.
(With inputs from PTI, NDTV)
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