At least 3 women have communicated they have been gang raped.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
Haryana police have finally added the charges of gang rape to the FIR in the case of Murthal case during jat stir for reservation in the state in February, reported the Press Trust of India. The police, on Monday, informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the section of gang rape has been added to the FIR.
There were allegations that some women were gang raped in Murthal during the Jat stir in Haryana. But the police refused to admit that gang rape had happened as there was no evidence.
Now, two anonymous letters received by the police from two women stating that they were gang raped when they were crossing National Highway-1 during the stir compelled the police to add the charges.
Along with this, senior lawyer Anupam Gupta has claimed that he has an audio of an East Delhi girl who also said that she was gang raped. Gupta is assisting the Punjab and Haryana high court as amicus curiae in the case.
“Since the content of both communications reveals the commission of offence under Section 376D of the Indian Penal Code, the relevant Section has been added and further investigation will be conducted on these communications to verify the content,” the police affidavit said.
Among the two letters that police received, one was written by an NRI residing in Australia. The other letter was written by a girl who is living in a hostel. The letter written by the NRI had been gone viral on social media.
The police had registered a case of molestation on March 30. The High Court also had taken suo motu cognizance of newspaper reports claiming at least 10 women were gang raped.
The police are trying to identify the victims to record their statement. The police have sought the help of a foreign regional registration officer in Delhi to obtain the details of the NRI. Call records of the Murthal area are also being examined to identify the hostel girl.
The Jat community started an agitation seeking reservation for the community in government jobs and educational institutions in February. The agitation that trembled Haryana led to widespread violence in the state.