A woman was allegedly raped by six men in front of her husband in Rajasthan's Alwar district, news agency PTI reported, citing police reports. One of the accused was arrested on Tuesday, said the police.
The assailants also filmed the crime and uploaded the video on social media, police said.
The husband of the woman claimed she was gang-raped on 26 April and that the police were informed on 30 April, but the FIR was filed only on 7 May, according to NDTV. He alleged that the police did not act quickly due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
All Accused Arrested
The prime accused in the Alwar gang-rape case was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Mathura on Thursday, 9 May, and another accused later in the day, the police said, as reported by IANS.
Hours after fourth accused Mahesh was arrested from Shahpura late on Wednesday, 8 May, the prime accused Hansraj was arrested from Mathura Thursday morning, the police said. The sixth accused Chhotelal was apprehended later in the day.
Ashok Gujjar, Inderaj Gujjar and Mukesh were arrested earlier on Tuesday.
The DGP said the station house officer of the Thanagazi police station was suspended for not taking prompt action in the case. An FIR was lodged on 2 May under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST Act.
Rajasthan Govt Orders Inquiry Into Lapses
Rajasthan government ordered inquiry into the case. Divisional Commissioner of Jaipur will investigate the lapses by police officials in delaying the registration of an FIR and arrest of the accused, as reported by News18. The state government asked for a report to be submitted in 10 days.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, on Tuesday, had directed officials to take stern action against the accused.
“I am taking this case seriously, state DGP himself is monitoring the case and culprits will be punished,” ANI quoted Gehlot as saying.
"The state government is committed for women safety. Nearly a dozen police teams have been formed to arrest the accused and one arrest has been made. The victim and her family are given protection," Gehlot said in a statement.
The chief minister said action would also be taken against the police officials if any lapses were found.
Opposition Holds Protest
The gang-rape evoked sharp criticism from all sections of the society, with political parties holding protests in various parts of the state, including Ajmer, Alwar, Sawai Madhopur and Churu. They cornered the Rajasthan government for allegedly covering up the matter due to the Lok Sabha elections in the state.
BJP state president Madan Lal Saini condemned the incident and demanded Gehlot’s resignation. Saini alleged the incident was "concealed" by the Congress government due to ongoing elections.
"There appears to be a political conspiracy because the case was kept hidden till elections. Those who are in the government are also culprits. There are posters of Congress president Rahul Gandhi with 'Ab Hoga Nyay' slogan, but women still want to ask why injustice is being done to them in the Congress-ruled state," Saini told reporters in Jaipur.
He claimed that nine cases of rape took place in Udaipurwati (Jhunjhunu) in 21 days, two cases of abduction of brides have happened and the number of crimes has gone up.
Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati on Saturday, 11 May, echoed the allegation against Congress of concealing the incident, owing to the Lok Sabha elections. “The Congress government suppressed this incident till the end of election in Rajasthan to preserve their political benefits and threatened the family of the victim to keep quiet about it,” she alleged, according to news agency ANI.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had earlier demanded death penalty for the guilty.
“The guilty in Alwar gang-rape case should be hanged till death. Supreme Court should take action against the Congress government, police and the administration in the state. This matter is not just related to Dalits but all women.”Mayawati
The incident took place on 26 April when the woman was travelling on a motorcycle with her husband. The accused stopped them on the Thanagazi-Alwar bypass and dragged the couple to an isolated area, where they allegedly raped the woman and threatened her husband with dire consequences, police said.
SC/ST Commission Wants FIR Against 'Negligent' Cops
National SC/ST Commission Vice Chairman L Murgan on Friday, 10 May, recommended that an FIR be registered against police officers whose alleged negligence led to delay in action in the case.
Murgan along with Commission secretary Pritam Singh, Rajasthan Chief Secretary DB Gupta and DGP Kapil Garg held a meeting in Alwar to review the progress in the case, which has triggered wide-spread outrage in Rajasthan.
“I have asked that negligent police officers should be booked under Section 4 of SC/ST Act, charge sheet should be filed within 15 days and the case should be monitored on a daily basis. The family has demanded government job. I have asked the district magistrate to see how it can be provided.”National SC/ST Commission Vice Chairman L Murgan
Murgan said that a compensation of Rs 4,12,500 has been paid to the woman survivor apart from Rs 50,000 provided by the women and child development department.
The victim's family submitted a memorandum for speedy trial, compensation and government job. The Commission has also asked the state government to check how the victim's husband can be provided compensation under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he added.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS and ANI)
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