Gangrape accused let off by Bathinda police

BATHINDA: A gangrape victim of Sangat village, who was found bruised on a roadside near here on June 11, has been awaiting justice as the accused persons are moving freely even after the registration of a case three weeks ago.

Two of the four accused, who were brought to the police station on the pressure of the victim’s parents, were let off on June 13, a day before they were scheduled to be presented in a court here.

The police had registered a case on June 12 at Bathinda's Kanal police station under sections 376-D (punishment for gangrape, a non-bailable offence), 323 (punishment for causing hurt, injuries) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation and threatening) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Sarabjit Singh, Parpinderpal Singh, both from Abohar, Gursewak Singh alias 'Mann' of Kotbhai village and an unidentified person.

Two accused Sarabjit Singh and Gursewak Singh were arrested from different places near Bathinda early morning of June 13 and were brought to the Kanal police station.

The cops at the police station told the victim’s parents that the culprits would be produced in the district court the next day. But the aggrieved family was shocked when the police failed to turn up with the accused in the court on June 14.

Kanal police station SHO Kulwinder Singh admitted that two accused were brought to the police station.

"The matter is being thoroughly reinvestigated as the police doubted the statement of the girl," the SHO quipped, when asked for the reason of letting off the accused in a criminal case. “So, we let them go till reinvestigation is completed,” he added.

The police had lodged the FIR on the basis of the victim’s statement that was recorded by assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Beant Kaur at the Bathinda civil hospital where the victim underwent treatment.

The FIR says the accused Sarabjit Singh allegedly owed ₹75 lakh to the victim and had fixed a meeting with her.

The accused then forced the victim at gunpoint to consume cold drink laced with intoxicant and then drove her to an unknown place where she was gangraped.

THREE WEEKS ON, FOUR ACCUSED NAMED IN THE FIR FOR GANGRAPE ARE ROAMING FREELY