SIT formed, family reluctant to get victim’s statement recorded

DGP says 20% rape cases get cancelled every year, complaints found false during probe

VICTIM ON WEDNESDAY COMPLAINED TO THE POLICE THAT SHE WAS DRUGGED AND RAPED BY THREE PERSONS, INCLUDING AN ACQUAINTANCE

REWARI : Even as the Haryana Police on Friday set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged gangrape of a 20-yearold Rewari woman, the victim’s family has declined to get her statement recorded before a judicial magistrate citing her traumatic state of mind.

The woman had on Wednesday complained to the police that she was drugged and raped by three persons, including an acquaintance. The case sparked media outcry prompting the state government to form an SIT under Kanina deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Vinod Kumar.

In her complaint to the police, the woman alleged that she was kidnapped, drugged and gangraped in fields near Kanina in Mahendergarh. But the case took a curious turn when the victim’s family expressed reluctance to record her statement under Section 164 of the CrPC as mandatory under the rape law.

“Normally, the complainant and the family cooperate with the police in investigations. Despite the police insistence that the victim should get her statement recorded before a judicial magistrate, the family refused to do so,” said a police official.

The statement recorded before a judicial magistrate has greater legal significance than the one recorded by the police.

Top officials said they also found it strange that one of the accused called up the father of the victim to inform him. The FIR says: “I was gangraped... and then I was dropped at the bus stand around 4.53pm… my father was informed by one of the accused… my mother and brother came to pick me up…”

Her medical examination prima facie did not indicate any internal or external injury, said Kanina DSP Vinod Kumar. “But we have sent swab reports for forensic examination which will be a crucial piece of evidence,” he said. Another important evidence would be the results of victim’s blood tests, which will determine administering of an intoxicant or a drug on her, police said.

“When my daughter told me about the incident, I took her to SP office, but it was evening by then, and the SP was not there. We took her to the women police station, where we lodged a complaint. The police registered zero FIR,” victim’s father said.

He alleged that when the accused came to know about the FIR, they started threatening them to withdraw the complaint. “We are living under fear,” the victim’s mother said, adding that her daughter is not in a condition to record the statement.

CHANDIGARH: There has been a 47% increase in the number of rape cases and more than 100% increase in cases pertaining to kidnapping of women in Haryana since September 2014-August 2015, statistics tabled in the recent assembly session showed. The data revealed 26% increase in molestation cases between September 2014-August 2015 and September 2018.

WORRYING TREND

As compared to 8,126 cases of crime against women registered from September 2014 till August 2015, over 10,000 cases were registered from September 2017 till now, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said in a statement tabled in the assembly. On the whole, there has been a 27% increase in crime against women between 2014-15 and 2017-18. The chief minister said the crime rate did not decrease in districts where women police stations were opened.

He said that first information reports (FIRs) registered by the police indicated a rising trend of crime against women from April 2015 to June 2018.

Statistics tabled in the state assembly indicate that the number of rape cases registered by the police from September 2014 to September 2015 were 961. The number increased to 1,026 in 20152016, was up to 1,193 in 2016-17 and 1,413 in 2017-2018.

Similarly, the number of cases pertaining to kidnapping of women and girls was 1,664 between September 2014-August 2015. They increased to 2,330 in 2015-16, 3,055 in 2016-17 and were 3,494 in 2017-18. There has also been a steady increase in molestation cases in the state – from 1,833 in 2014-15 to 2,320 in 2017-18.

LIBERAL REGISTRATION OF FIRS BEHIND SURGE

Director general of police BS Sandhu said the data indicates an increase in crime against women because of “free registration” of first information reports (FIRs). With the setting up of women police stations and because of Supreme Court orders on registering FIRs, there has been a surge in the number of cases registered statewide.

“About 20% of the rape cases every year are being cancelled as they were found to be false during the investigation. This year, the police detected 37 honey trap cases, which will fall flat,’’ the DGP said. Statistics show that 327 rape FIRs were cancelled by the state police in 2017, as many as 138 FIRs were cancelled in the current year till June 2018.

Cases of death due to dowry harassment have seen a decrease. In 2014-15, the police registered 260 cases of dowry death that came down to 202 from September 2017-18. Cases of dowry harassment also came down from 3,408 in 2014-15 to 2,896 in 2017-18.

CRIME RATE DID NOT DECREASE IN DISTRICTS WHERE WOMEN POLICE STATIONS WERE OPENED; DOWRY CASES ON THE DECLINE