Haryana gangrape: Rewari Superintendent of Police transferred amid inquiry; Manohar Khattar calls crime unfortunate

Rewari superintendent of police Rajesh Duggal was transferred on Sunday and replaced by Rahul Sharma, the Superintendent of Police of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s security, even as the Haryana Police investigates the gangrape of a 19-year-girl in Rewari in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district. Duggal will now lead a battalion of Haryana Armed Police in Hisar.

Rewari Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Duggal has been transferred, Rahul Sharma takes over as the new SP of Rewari. #Haryana

— ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2018

Amid calls for his resignation due to the poor state of law and order in Haryana, Khattar condemned the crime, saying it was unfortunate an army personnel was an accused in the rape case. Khattar, who had an event scheduled in Punjab’s Jalandhar, cut short his visit and reached Chandigarh in the afternoon, official sources said. [caption id=“attachment_4477333” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Haryana Police. Reuters[/caption] “Three accused have been identified. It’s unfortunate they (the accused and the survivor) knew each other. It’s even more unfortunate that one accused is an army personnel. A search is underway (for the absconding accused). We’ve announced reward of Rs 1 Lakh for information on them. They’ll be nabbed soon,” Khattar was quoted as saying by ANI. Sources said Khattar summoned the Director General of Police to his office to review the progress in the investigation. The chief minister directed the DGP to ensure arrest of all the accused at the earliest, sources said.  The main accused named in the FIR — an army personnel and two other youth — are still absconding. However, the Haryana Police made its first arrest in the case of gangrape earlier on Sunday. The Special Investigation Team arrested a man identified as  Deen Dayal, the owner of the tubewell  where the girl was raped, on Sunday. Deen Dayal has been charged with criminal conspiracy as he is believed to have known that the three would rape the girl in the tubewell. On Saturday, investigators had released photographs of the three absconding accused. The army officer was identified as Pankaj, who is posted in Kota.  The other two accused have been identified as Manish and Nishu.  

#Rewari gang-rape case: Rewari police has released photos of the three accused, Manish (pic 1), Nishu (pic 2) and Pankaj - an Army personnel (pic 3). #Haryana pic.twitter.com/RLbEatFGU5

— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2018

As pressure built on it to act swiftly, the police also arrested a registered medical practitioner, who first attended to the girl. The survivor’s family had alleged that police had failed to take prompt action on their complaint and delayed action by citing jurisdiction issue between police units of Rewari and Mahendergarh districts. The girl, a school topper hailing from Rewari who had been felicitated by the government, was abducted at a bus stop in Kanina town in neighbouring Mahendragarh district on Wednesday while she was on the way to a coaching class, the police said. Besides the SIT, the Haryana Police had formed multiple teams to investigate the alleged Rewari gangrape. The police force had also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for anyone who provides useful information to help catch the accused. The accused live in the same village in Rewari and they know the girl and her family, police said. On Saturday, the Superintendent of Police of Nuh, Nazneen Bhasin, who is heading the SIT investigating the case, met the survivor in a hospital in Rewari, where she is undergoing treatment. She said the girl’s condition is stable, and also that a medical examination had confirmed rape. Lt Gen Cherish Mathson, who heads the South Western Command of the Army, had said in Jaipur Saturday that they would help the police in the probe. The survivor’s father has said 8 or 10 men may have raped her but she could identify only three of them. With inputs from PTI