Swiss gangrape case: Couple to stay in India to help with investigation

Datia/Bhopal (MP): The six youths who allegedly gangraped a Swiss woman were today remanded in police custody for a day by a Madhya Pradesh court. Meanwhile the victim and her husband have decided to stay in the country to help identify the culprits. The 15 March incident rocked the Madhya Pradesh Assembly today with opposition Congress demanding Home Minister Uma Shankar Gupta’s resignation and staging state-wide protests. The accused, who were arrested yesterday, were produced before Datia Chief Judicial Magistrate R P Yadav with their faces covered with black cloth and remanded in police custody for a day. Deputy Inspector General D K Arya said they will be further interrogated. Police have recovered a 12-bore gun from the accused — all in the age group of 19-25 years who have been booked under sections of rape and loot, apart from the things they had robbed from the couple — laptop, laptop-charger, mobile phone and Rs 5,500 cash. [caption id=“attachment_666009” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. Image from Delhi gangrape protests. AP[/caption] The police are now waiting for the 39-year-old Swiss woman and her husband to return from New Delhi so that they can identify the accused and their own looted belongings. A Swiss embassy statement in Delhi said that the couple were provided medical assistance on their arrival in the national capital and “are currently recovering”. “While speaking to Ambassador Linus von Castelmur, the couple expressed their readiness to fully cooperate in the ongoing investigation and identification process. They will continue to stay in India for the moment,” it said. The Embassy also thanked the Madhya Pradesh police for its cooperation. Meanwhile, Congress workers staged demonstrations at various district headquarters in the state today protesting against the gangrape and demanding the resignation of the state Home Minister. In the assembly, Congress members, led by Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Choudhary Rakesh Singh Chaturvedi, dressed in black clothes bearing the caption “MP number one in rape cases,” created bedlam raising slogans against government and demanded the minister’s resignation. They trooped into the well of the House raising slogans while pressing for Gupta’s resignation. Intervening in the matter, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that it was an important issue and the government is ready for the discussion. However, Congress members insisted that the matter will be taken up only after the Home Minister resigns from his post, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house for the day. PTI