An unsettling case involving the gang rape of a young Dalit woman working as a cleaner in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodhya has emerged. The police registered cases against nine suspects and arrested five of them. The victim has also accused the Cantonment police of severe misconduct.
Providing details about the case, the police revealed that the incidents occurred on different days when the woman visited her acquaintance. During these visits, her friend and his companions sexually assaulted her.
Madhuban Singh, the City SP of Ayodhya, stated, 'This incident pertains to the Cantonment area and dates back two weeks. The victim filed a complaint on September 2 at the Cantonment police station. It came to light that on various occasions when the victim went to meet her former acquaintance, her friend and his accomplices committed the heinous act. Five of the accused have been arrested so far, and the search for others is ongoing.'
Case Registered on September 2
The young woman alleges that her friend, with whom she was in a relationship, and his companions repeatedly gang-raped her while recording videos to blackmail her. She filed a report on September 2, but the police threatened her and her family to keep them away from the media.
The victim explained, 'I work at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, and since this incident, I have lost my job. I befriended a boy, and eventually, we got into a relationship. However, he, along with his friends, started forcing themselves on me. When I tried to escape, they injured my head, and I lost consciousness. When I regained consciousness in the evening, only two guys, Vansh Chaudhary and Vinay, were present. They took me from the guest house to a garage, where they raped me again and recorded a video to blackmail me.'
'Accused Were Blackmailing Me'
She continued, 'They kept blackmailing me and calling me. Out of fear, I didn't inform my family or the police initially. On the 22nd, they came to the Janmabhoomi again and kept me with them until the night of the 24th. When they were taking me back to the Ram Temple, we encountered an accident, and I got injured.'
FIR Copy Not Provided: Victim
'On the 28th, I was going to file an application at the women's police station when they threatened me again, saying what happened to me would happen to my sisters and that it wouldn’t be good for my family. Out of fear, I returned home. On the 31st, I went to the women's police station again with an application. They claimed my allegations were false and that the boys couldn’t have done this. I waited until noon on September 2 but received no response.'
'Finally, I went to the SSP office. Following their orders, I then went to the City SP's office. The SHO of the women's police station and Cantonment Station were summoned, where I was told my case would be registered. We waited from 2 PM to 9 PM before the case was finally registered, and my medical examination happened at 11 PM. Despite spending 36 hours at the police station, they didn't give me a copy of the FIR.'
