Bulandshahr gangrape: Four cops suspended, five culprits identified

Five people have been arrested in the Bulandshahr gangrape case and four top cops have been suspended so far, according to CNN News 18.

The officials suspended include SSP Bulandshahr Vaibhav Kishan, SP city Rammohan Singh, Circle Officer (Sadar) Himanshu Gaurav, which takes the total number of policemen suspended on charges of laxity to four, as reported in  The Times of India

Reacting to the allegations of dereliction of duty by the Bulandshahr police, Uttar Pradesh administration had earlier suspended the Station House Officer (SHO) Ramsen Singh.

The gang-rape occurred on Saturday night, when a 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter were allegedly waylaid by a group of dacoits. According to the police, the family’s car was stopped on NH 91, the women dragged out of the vehicle, and the family robbed at gun point. The entire episode lasted over three hours.

Special teams have been tasked to probe the incident on a fast-track mode, Javed Ahmed, Deputy General of Police told reporters on Sunday at a press conference in Bulandshahr. The DGP also said that investigation is on and any other officers found guilty of inaction will face similar charges.

The police have detained 15 people so far, DIG, Meerut Lakshmi Singh told Times Now. Singh also said that the suspects may be from the local Banjara tribes squatting alongside the highway. She said the police has a complete database of these people.

According to reports, the victims had approached the Dehat Kotwali police station to file an FIR following the incident. The Indian Express  reported that when the family reported the crime to SHO RS Singh, he failed to respond and did not visit the scene of crime. There were also reports that police did not answer calls placed to the emergency helpline number.

The Bulandshahr SSP Vaibhav Krishna also said that an FIR was lodged against seven-eight miscreants on charges of dacoity and gang-rape. “Police teams have been formed to nab the accused,” said the SSP.

The Principal Secretary, Ministry of Home affairs Uttar Pradesh and the UP Deputy General of Police visited Bulandshahr to take stock of the situation. After inspecting the spot of crime, they will also meet the victims.

Earlier, the UP police had claimed that they had identified the main accused in the case and had detained 15 people.

However, according to Times Now reports, the National Commission for Women (NCW) contradicted the UP police’s claim stating only one person was apprehended in the case. The TV channel also reported that the family tried calling the police emergency number but did not get any response.

In view of the conflicting reports coming in from the region, NCW sent a three-member team to probe the incident.

It was also said that the police overlooked evidence and were not thorough in examining the crime scene. CNN News-18 reported that a gold chain, that could have belonged to the victim, was found lying at the spot one day after the incident. The report further said that evidence from the scene has now been sent  for forensic examination. And the fact that a police station was just 100 metres from where the incident happened has also raised eyebrows on the police’s response time after the incident.

NCW has also questioned the lack of patrolling on the stretch of highway especially since the incident lasted for more than three hours.

Lakshmi Singh, DIG Meerut, however, defended the forces blaming low visibility due to lack of street lights. She said six patrolling vehicles on duty at the night of the incident but the miscreants had dragged the vehicle off the highway for some distance, as reported by TimesNow.

UP DGP Ahmed also rubbished the claims that police response was delayed. He said the police received a phone call at around 5.30 am in the morning and the cops reached at the spot after 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, politicking around the issue has picked up with all opposition parties attacking the state government alleging that “jungle raj” is flourishing in the state.

Slamming the Akhilesh Yadav government, BSP Supremo and former UP chief minister Mayawati said, “The SP government and its head must tell the people if they can return the modesty of women in such a painful and heinous crime.”

BJP also panned the UP government over the incident as Union Minister Mahesh Sharma demanded that the Chief Minister should step down after such a “shameful incident”. “When will this end? It shows that the state government has collapsed on every front. They cannot save the honour of a daughter. It is shameful and they should step down.”

The ruling Samajwadi Party on the other hand has gone on the defensive. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had given the cops 24 hours to nab the miscreants and he rushed the Principal Secretary and DGP to the spot after the local police came under fire over allegations of inaction.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia has said that the government will ensure that strict action is taken against the perpetrators, according to CNN News 18

The family, comprising the woman, her husband, their two daughters and two other male relatives, were travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur at around 2.30 am on Saturday night when they were stopped by the dacoits.

According to a report by  The Times of India , as the family was approaching Dostpur village, the dacoits who were hiding behind the bushes allegedly flung a rod at the vehicle. The driver stopped the car and stepped out to investigate, when the robbers emerged from the bushes and took the family at gun point.

They forced the driver to take the vehicle off the road and drive into a field where they separated the family. They then dragged the woman and her elder daughter out and repeatedly raped the two victims for three hours.

They then reportedly snatched Rs 11,000 in cash and also stole other valuables like jewellery, ATM card, etc.

With inputs from PTI