CHANDIGARH: Embarrassed over the failure to arrest those involved in the alleged gang-rape of a board topper, the Haryana government on Sunday ordered the transfer of Rewari’s Superintendent of Police (SP) and replaced him with another officer.
Rahul Sharma has been posted as the new SP of Rewari in place of Rajesh Duggal.
The police arrested Deendayal, the owner of the tubewell room where the gang-rape took place in Mahendragarh district. Police said he gave the keys of the room to the accused youth where they committed the crime on September 12.
The police have also detained a medical practitioner who was called by the accused when the condition of the 19-year-old rape victim deteriorated after she had been sexually assaulted.
Police officials said the medical practitioner gave the victim first aid treatment. He did not inform the police though he knew that the victim was sexually assaulted claiming that he was threatened by the accused.
The Haryana Police has faced flak for treating the gang-rape incident casually initially by citing jurisdiction issues, losing crucial time and evidence to nab the accused.
In a related development, the family of the gang-rape victim on Sunday rejected the compensation cheque of Rs 2 lakh sent by the Haryana government.
“Is this the value that the Haryana government has calculated for the gruesome crime committed on my daughter? We reject the compensation offered. We want justice for our daughter,” the mother of the victim said in Rewari, nearly 350 km from here.
The Haryana Police on Sunday continued the hunt for the rapists.
Police sources said on Sunday that raids were being conducted at various locations to arrest the three accused involved in the crime.
The police were questioning relatives, friends and fellow villagers of the accused to know their whereabouts. Nearly 100 people have been questioned.
Special Investigating Team (SIT) chief Nazneen Bhasin told the media in Rewari that the rape of the young woman had been confirmed in the medical examination.
She said that anyone giving information about the accused would get a reward of Rs 1 lakh.
The accused include a soldier, Pankaj, and two youths, Manish and Nishu. All belong to Kanina village.
Despite Harayana Director General of Police B.S. Sandhu claiming that the accused would be arrested, the police have failed to do so.
The victim, who has identified her attackers, and her parents had said earlier that the police were not taking action in the matter and were dealing with it casually.
The family alleged that more men could be involved in the gang-rape.
The accused, who belong to the same village as the victim and knew her, allegedly kidnapped the victim from Kanina bus stand while she was on her way for coaching classes.
She said they gave her water to drink which was laced with a sedative. They then took turns raping her in a room adjoining agricultural fields till she fell unconscious.They later dumped her at a bus stop near the village.
One accused, Manish, even called up the victim’s father and told him to pick her from the bus stand.
The victim, a second year student in a college, topped the board examination and was felicitated by the government.