The Haryana Police on Monday filed its status report on the alleged rapes at Murthal in Sonipat district during the Jat agitation, saying no such incident took place.
The status report was filed before a Division Bench of Justices S.K. Mittal and H.S. Sidhu.
The status report filed by police “denied the charges of molestation and gang rape during the intervening night of February 22/23 at Murthal in Sonipat district.”
The Division Bench adjourned the case to March 14.
Suo motunotice
The High Court had taken suo motu notice of the matter after a report in a local daily on the alleged rapes.
The Bench had appointed senior advocate Anupam Gupta as amicus curiae to assist the court in this matter. During the course of the hearing, ADGP (Law and Order) Mohd Akil and head of the three-member women police officers probing the allegations Deputy Inspector-General Rajshree Singh were also present.
Woman comes forward to file case
Days after allegations of rape and molestation by Jat quota agitators near Haryana’s Murthal, a woman on Sunday came forward and registered a case of gang rape against seven persons, including her brother-in-law, in connection with the incident.
“An FIR has been lodged against seven persons in connection with a gang rape on the basis of a complaint filed by a Narela-based woman,” Haryana Police, DIG, Rajshree Singh had said. She said the victim had alleged she was raped on the intervening night of February 22-23 and the perpetrators included her brother-in-law.
The officer, who heads a three-member team of women police officers constituted by the Haryana government to go into alleged incidents of rape and molestation of several women by Jat protesters, however, said a “family dispute” could be the reason behind the woman filing the complaint.
Victim unsure about exact crime scene
The officer said the victim was not sure about the exact scene of the crime but claimed she was raped in a building near Murthal when she was on way to Narela in Delhi from Haridwar in a van.
According to the report filed by Haryana DGP, during the fact ascertaining exercise, no one complained about incidents of any gang rape or molestation of any woman by miscreants.
Statements of witnesses
Referring to the statements of Om Singh, resident of Kurar, Zile Singh, resident of Hasanpur, and Harkishan, resident of Kurar, whose names were mentioned in the news report in a daily on February 24 about incidents of gang rape and sexual assault, it has been submitted that as per Zile Singh, on February 23, some press reporters came to ‘Sukhdev dhaba.’
He told them that some passengers, including women, had come to the dhaba and they had arranged tea and water for them and provided them cots at the dhaba. As per these statements, the news published in the newspaper was false and baseless, the report said.
To them, no rape/molestation
Apart from the statements of these three, the report further stated that statements of Dalel, Rajinder, Brajinder were also recorded.
As per their statements too, there was no incident of rape/ molestation, with the women and as per their statement, the news so published in the newspaper was false and fabricated and was published with motive to blame the locality, the report said.
It further stated that on inquiry, it has also come to notice that the people of the area and passengers who were present at the dhaba specifically mentioned that they never told the press reporters about occurrence of any such incident.
“Charges not corroborated”
It has been further pointed out in the report, that Rekha Sharma, member of national women commission, along with her team, visited the spot on February 24 and inquired into the matter on NH-1 and its surrounding/adjoining areas and the allegations of rape/ molestation were not corroborated.
Well, what about the clothes?
According to the report, on February 26, a team headed by DSP, Ganaur, carried out combing operation and found some old clothes near NH-1 and it is reliably learnt that “nomadic migrants” stayed there since last few days and that the clothes could belong to those persons.
In addition, DSP Ganaur, and SHO, P.S. Murthal, had also viewed the footage of closed circuit TV installed in Sukhdev dhaba and that it revealed that no clothes of any women were found torn.
The report brought to the notice of the court that a special group headed by Dr. Rajshri Singh, IPS, DIG, State Crime Branch has been constituted on February 26 to receive any complaint, information, video clip, audio clip or any other evidence in this regard.
The committee will be available at Sonipat and shall process the information and shall ensure legal action on top priority and with utmost compassion, sensitivity and respect to the victim, complainant or informant.
