Muktsar Village Rape Case – Police crackdown fails to deter protesting villagers #Vaw

MUKTSAR VILLAGE RAPE CASE
Police crackdown fails to deter protesting villagers
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, May 30
Their elders in jail, the families protesting the delay in the arrest of the main accused in a rape case are facing several hardships. A minor Dalit of Gandhar village was raped in January. But the key accused, Gurlal Singh, has yet to be arrested.

Rajvir Kaur and Harvir Kaur of Gandhar village have sought the help of their relatives. Their mother Swarnjit Kaur has been arrested and their father Sukhdeep Singh is in Gujarat where he works as a farmhand.

“With our parents away, it was difficult to live alone in the house. So we asked our maternal uncle and his family to live with us,” explained the girls.

They said instead of going after the accused, who was a proclaimed offender, the police had arrested those demanding his arrest.

Ram Swaran Lakhewali, a social activist, said of the 34 arrested for lodging a protest, eight were from Muktsar district.

Lachhman Singh Sewewala, state general secretary of the Khet Mazdoor Union, said they would continue to protest till the accused was held.

The SSP, Muktsar, Kuldeep Chahal, said: “I have instructed the SHO concerned to start the process of attaching the property of the key accused.”

2 cops booked for rape

Bathinda: Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Sukhdev Singh and Head Constable Gurjant Singh, both posted with the Bhagta Bhai Ka police station in Bathinda district, have been booked for rape on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The victim had filed a writ petition in the High Court, alleging that the police was not registering a case against the two policemen who had beaten her up and raped her at Burj Throd village on March 5, 2012.

Senior Superintendent of police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said a case had been registered against the two policemen and “we have initiated an inquiry by an officer of the rank of SP (Crime) who will work under the supervision of the IGP (Crime), as directed by the court.” Other officials, including the SHO of the Dyalpura police station, were tight-lipped on the issue.