Nagpur: Two tribal girls who had allegedly been gang-raped by C-60 commandos in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, denied any such incident before the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court.
The girls from Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, bordering Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, were ‘detained’ for a night by a team of C-60 commandoes on January 20 in Hiddur and Murewada forest of Gadchiroli after an encounter between the Maoists and the C-60 team. Some activists from Gadchiroli had launched a campaign against the police, alleging the girls were gang-raped by the securitymen.
The girls were kept at a correction home on Sunday after a special sitting of the HC and produced in court on Monday. Advocate Gayatri Singh, who appeared for the brother of one of the girls, alleged that the girls were under tremendous pressure from the police and will not speak the truth. A Bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Indira Jain, however, asked both girls to testify in the judges’ chamber, where both denied any such act by the police.
While disposing of their plea, the Bench said, “our observations of their facial expressions also does not show that they are speaking under coercion or threat”.
The court also held that the girls were compelled by Sheela Gota, sarpanch, Jambia Gatta village to inform the petitioner about the incident which never took place. It also permitted the girls to leave with their relatives.
Ms. Gota and her husband were arrested on Saturday from the office of advocate Nihal Singh Rathod in Nagpur. Some activists who were part of the campaign against the police were arrested by Gadchiroli police over the last two days. They were granted bail by a Gadchiroli court on Monday. The police had said the allegations of rape was the handiwork of Maoist sympathisers.
Reacting to the court order, Mr. Rathod said, “We had alleged in our petition filed on January 25 that if these girls remain in police custody, chances were high that their statements might change. We had demanded they be taken out of police influence. The girls are ignorant, innocent and illiterate and they fear policemen. Our apprehensions came true today.”
