Rajasthan: 16 arrested, 4 minors detained in 15-yr-old’s gangrape case

Sixteen people have been arrested while four minors have been detained for allegedly gangraping a 15-year-old girl for over nine days earlier this month, said officials on Tuesday.

The opposition BJP has slammed the Congress government in Rajasthan over the issue, saying that the law and order situation in the state has completely failed.

According to the police, two people including a woman took the victim from Kota to Jhalawar district on February 25 on the pretext of buying her a bag, where 3-4 more people joined them and the victim was gangraped.

The Kota rural police said in a release that according to the girl’s complaint, till March 5, several people raped her on different days in various places of Jhalawar.

The police statement said that an FIR under various sections of the IPC including gangrape and kidnapping along with the POCSO and SC/ST (prevention of atrocities Act) were registered on the basis of the girl’s complaint on March 6.

The police said that so far 16 people have been arrested in the case along with four minors who have been detained.

“We have rounded up 20 people including 4 minors. Further investigation is being conducted in the matter,” said Kota rural superintendent of police (SP) Sharad Chowdhary.

The BJP cornered the Rajasthan government over the issue, accusing police inaction.

“The Congress government in Rajasthan is sleeping. There are constant efforts to hide the violence against women. Why are Rahul (Gandhi) and Priyanka (Vadra), silent on the continuous incidents of rapes in Rajasthan? Why are they silent?” former Union Minister and BJP national spokesperson Rajyavardhan Rathore tweeted in Hindi on Tuesday.

Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said that the functioning of the police is ‘equally responsible’ for the incident, adding that neither the Kota police wrote the initial report by the victim’s family and nor did the Jhalawar police sent her home.

She called for strong action against police officials.

SP Chowdhary added that the reports of police inaction in the matter are also being investigated.

In the evening, Chowdhary suspended an assistant sub inspector and sent an SHO to the police lines after finding prima facie carelessness by them in the case.