Rewari Gang Rape: Army Personnel Among 3 Suspects Identified

The Haryana Police have released photos of the three suspects in the Rewari gang rape case. Earlier on Saturday, 15 September, the Haryana ADG had said the three culprits involved in the gang rape of a 19-year-old had been identified and that a warrant was being issued against the Army personnel who was involved.

The three suspects have been identified as Manish, Nishu and Pankaj, who is an Army personnel.

A special investigation team (SIT) was formed on Saturday morning to investigate the alleged kidnap and gang rape of the woman.

The members of the SIT are DSP Anil Kumar, DSP Satyendra, Inspector Saroj Bala, SHO Nuh Anil and two more officers, Usha Rani and District Inspector Sohan Pal. The SIT is being led by the Superintendent of Police, Nuh, Naazneen Bhasin.

If an army personnel is involved in the crime, we will facilitate that the person is caught and booked for rape. We do not shelter criminals.

Lt Gen Cherish Mathson, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Command to ANI on Saturday.

HOW FAR HAS THE INVESTIGATION PROCEEDED?

Haryana DGP BS Sandhu told ANI earlier on Saturday, 15 September, that the main accused is a serving defence personnel stationed in Rajasthan. “We are getting a warrant against him. The other two accused will be nabbed soon”, he said.

Speaking at a press conference in Rewari, SP Bhasin said that the medical report had confirmed rape. She also added that a number of teams have been constituted to nab the accused, which was their priority.

SP Bhasin also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for anyone who helps the SIT in their investigation.

“These boys left the area almost immediately. We are not far (from catching the men accused) and our top priority is to nab them. We will look into any delay that may have taken place”, SP Bhasin said in answer to why the main accused identified had not been caught yet. She also added that the SIT is looking into any prior criminal record that the any of the accused may have.

As far as the involvement of others is concerned, that is a matter under investigation and we will be looking into those aspects completely. Other than these three, positive identification of anyone else has not yet been made.

Naazneen Bhasin, SP, Nuh

In response to whether any progress had been made in catching the accused, Bhasin said, “We will declare a very good result very soon in this case.”

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE INCIDENT

The 19-year-old woman had allegedly been kidnapped and gang-raped by four to five people at Kanina in Haryana's Mahendergarh district, the local police told PTI on Thursday, 13 September.

The police conducted raids to nab the three men accused of raping the girl two days after she was allegedly abducted from a bus-stop while on her way to a coaching centre.

The National Commission for Women has also written to the Haryana DGP seeking updates on the case.

According to Sudarshan Panwar, Medical Superintendent of the Rewari District Hospital, the victim is stable and recovering from trauma. “The victim's condition is stable and she's recovering from trauma. Her X-ray and ultrasound reports are normal. We will continue to review her condition regularly”, he told ANI on 15 September.

The survivor was allegedly kidnapped on Wednesday by the accused who arrived in a car. She was later taken to a secluded place where she was gang raped after being offered a drink laced with sedatives, they said. The accused later left her near a bus stop in Kanina.

According to NDTV, the survivor, a second-year college student with a strong academic record, was kidnapped on her way to a coaching centre near her village in Rewari. She has reportedly informed the police that all the rapists were from her village.

Speaking to ANI, the survivor’s mother said:

“My daughter was kidnapped at 4 pm by one Pankaj and Manish, who later raped her with other men near a well. She was left in a bad state. Modi ji says ‘Beti Padho, Beti Bacho’, but how? I want justice for my daughter.”

The survivor’s parents have alleged that the police initially refused to register their complaint and file an FIR, according to NDTV. The accused had even threatened them against approaching the police.

WHAT THE POLICE SAID ABOUT THE INCIDENT

“I have spoken to the victim today, her condition is stable. The main accused have been identified. We are investigating every aspect of the case,” Nuh SP Naazneen Bhasin, who is heading the SIT investigation, had told ANI earlier on Saturday.

The Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Operations, Haryana, AS Chawla, had earlier told ANI that as per the survivor, three accused have been named in the FIR, and a search is on to arrest them.

“As per the victim, she was picked up by two boys belonging to her village. They took her to a nearby place, gave her a drink after which she couldn’t regain her consciousness. When she got up, she saw there was one more boy.”

He went on to say that:

“They dropped her (the survivor) back, and called her parents to tell them about her location. An FIR was registered, three accused have been named. We are after them to make the arrest. A medical examination of the victim has been done.”

An official of the women police station, Rewari, told PTI that a ‘zero FIR’ had been lodged on the complaint of the woman, although the probe was being conducted by the Mahendergarh police since the incident occurred in the area under their jurisdiction.

A zero FIR can be filed in any police station, irrespective of whether the incident took place within its jurisdiction; the same can be later transferred to the police station for the area where the alleged crime took place.

FORMER HARYANA CM CALLS FOR KHATTAR’S RESIGNATION

Speaking to ANI about the case, Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, had on Friday, 14 September said that whoever is found guilty would be punished.

The incident has evoked sharp reaction from the opposition, with former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleging a complete breakdown of the law and order situation, reported PTI.

He demanded resignation of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on moral grounds for the state’s alleged failure to protect its daughters.

“The chief minister should resign on moral grounds. There is a complete breakdown of law and order machinery in Haryana. The latest shocking incident is not an isolated one.”

He further alleged, “Criminals were on the run from Haryana when the Congress was in power, but crime graph has gone up ever since the BJP came to power.”

(Inputs from PTI, ANI, NDTV)