With the Haryana Police unable to make much headway in a case of rape and murder of a mentally challenged Nepalese woman in Rohtak, the public anger at the incident has spilled on to the streets, with a large number of people taking out a candlelight procession in the town on Saturday night.
The Mool Pravaha Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj and the Pravasi Nepali Sangh Bharat organised a candlelight vigil on Sunday.
The woman’s sister, who was among the participants, said she wanted the culprits to be caught and hanged. Wrestler and television personality Sangram Singh said he had taken part in the vigil to support the campaign for justice. The case bears resemblance to the Delhi gang-rape case in some ways, and public anger is rising.
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The woman, who lived with her sister at Chinyot colony in Rohtak, went missing on February 4 and the body was found three days later with cut and injury marks. The post-mortem examination at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences confirmed rape. Blades and stones were found thrust inside her.
The Haryana Police announced a Rs. 1 lakh award on Saturday for credible information leading to the arrest of the accused.
Additional Director-General of Police, Law and Order, Mohammad Akil said a special investigation team headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police and comprising five inspectors, four sub-inspectors and one assistant sub-inspector had been formed.
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A team of specialists from the Forensic Science Laboratory, Madhuban, visited the scene of crime and collected evidence. The police are screening records at various police stations and other sources to find criminals who have been involved in similar crimes.
The former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said there was lawlessness in Haryana under BJP rule, while Congress Legislative Party leader Kiran Chaudhary said the law-and-order situation in Haryana had never been so bad. The heinous crime had earned Haryana the infamy of a Delhi gang-rape type of incident and sent shockwaves across the State, Ms. Chaudhary said.
“The culprits should be arrested immediately, tried in a fast-track court and sent to the gallows. No punishment less than death would satisfy society.”
State Women’s Commission Chairperson Kamlesh Panchal visited the family of the victim and assured them that the panel would demand the death penalty for the culprits.