Rewari gangrape: Three arrested remanded in five-day police custody; SIT chief says hunt on to nab two absconding accused

Chandigarh: The Haryana police’s multiple teams are at job to nab the two absconding key accused involved in the gang rape of a young woman from Rewari, the new district police chief said on Monday. “A hunt is on to nab the absconding accused,” said Rahul Sharma, who took over as the Rewari superintendent of police after Rajesh Duggal was moved out on Sunday. Opposition parties have stepped up attack on the state government, alleging that the latest incident was not an isolated one and the law-and-order situation had completely broken down. “We demand that President’s rule should be imposed in the state..,” senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said on Monday. “What is Haryana government doing? It seems there is no rule of law and criminals are roaming freely… It is a matter of concern that a small state like Haryana is ahead in the country in gang-rape cases…,” the party MLA from the state added. [caption id=“attachment_5200081” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Accused in the Rewari rap case being produced in court. ANI[/caption] The 19-year-old woman from Rewari — a recipient of the President’s award for her academic achievements at school — was allegedly abducted on her way to coaching classes, drugged and gang-raped at a room adjoining a tubewell in an agricultural field last Wednesday, police said. The police’s special task force — a unit constituted to tackle organised crime and gangs — has been roped in to nab the remaining accused. The Rewari SP, meanwhile, said the safety and health of victim were one of the main concerns. “Arresting the remaining accused is another concern. However, it (the case) doesn’t end with the arrest of the accused, but it ends with their conviction. So, securing evidence and ensuring they get convicted through a fast-track court would be the next step,” Sharma said. Doctors at the Rewari civil hospital said the victim’s condition was stable. “She has been taking food. Her condition is stable and her health is showing improvement,” a senior doctor at the hospital said. The police had arrested three men, including one of the prime accused, on Sunday. They have been remanded to five-day police custody on Monday. Raids continued at several places to nab the other two key accused, including an Army man. The arrested prime accused was identified as Nishu by Mewat SP Naazneen Bhasin, who is heading the special investigation team in the case. The SIT identified the other arrested men as Dr Sanjeev, who first attended to the woman following the crime, and Deendayal, on whose property she was raped. Police said it was Nishu who had called Sanjeev to examine the woman when her health deteriorated. Nishu has been booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 376 D (gang rape), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison etc.) and 365 (kidnapping). Earlier, the victim’s family had alleged that the 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.