New Delhi: A 35-year-old woman from a tribal community was allegedly gang-raped by 17 men in Jharkhand’s Dumka district – which is located around 300 km northeast of the capital Ranchi – according to the FIR lodged by the woman on Wednesday, news reports said.
According to reports, the woman was raped and her husband held hostage by the men when the couple was returning from the local haat (market) in Ghasipur village on Tuesday night.
The woman, a mother of five, identified one of the accused as Ramu Mohli, 34, a resident of Golpur village, The Print reported. When the couple was returning from the market, the accused men brandished a knife and then forcibly took the woman inside a forest and tied up her husband.
The woman told the police the accused were drunk, the reports said.
After the couple reached home late at night, they informed the villagers about the incident and then an FIR was lodged at the local police station on Wednesday. The couple is from Gholpur village, the Print report added.
Deputy inspector general (DIG) of Santhal region, Sudarshan Mandal and Dumka superintendent of police (SP) Ambar Lakra reportedly visited the village of the victim to investigate the matter.
The woman’s initial medical examination didn’t reveal any injury, and therefore, a special team has been formed to conduct further examinations and its report is awaited.
However, the DIG told the Hindustan Times over phone that they are investigating the matter ‘meticulously’, as the woman had earlier told the police that five persons were involved in the crime. “When I was interrogating her in her village, she said there were five persons involved in the crime.”
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a statement saying it is seriously concerned about the reported incident and has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.
“Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to director general of police, Jharkhand, seeking adherence to guidelines of Ministry of Home Affairs of completing probes in two months in cases of sexual assault,” the NCW said.
The commission said it has also sought a detailed action taken report in the matter from the police.
According to the Jharkhand Police website, the state recorded a total of 1,359 rapes from January to September this year. From January 2018 to December 2019, Jharkhand reported 2,938 rapes.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 1,416 cases of rape have been registered in 2019 – an average of four cases daily.
Opposition parties criticised the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) government, with the BJP saying that incidents of rape in the state have been rising.
The party’s leader Louis Marandi targeted the chief minister Hemant Soren, whose brother Basant Soren represents the Dumka constituency.
According to reports, the BJP also held sit-in demonstrations in Dumka and Ranchi.
RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari also slammed the incident.