Accused of rape, 25yrold Rajouri man commits suicide after panchayat ‘forces him to drink urine’

JAMMU: A 25-year old postgraduate youth committed suicide in Jammu’s Rajouri district after a panchayat diktat forced him to drink the urine of a girl he allegedly raped.

The incident occurred over a week ago in Targain, a remote village in Budhal tehsil of Rajouri district, 150km northwest of Jammu.

Before jumping into Samar Sar, a lake near Targain, deceased Fazal Hussain recorded an audio clip on his mobile phone, wherein he said he never raped the girl.

Hussain also said he felt humiliated by the panchayat’s diktat.

SSP Rajouri Yougal Manhas said police would get to the bottom of the matter in the next two to three days and take action accordingly.

Manhas said the phone on which Hussain recorded the audio clip belonged to one of his relatives, probably his cousin.

“He said in the clip that he was asked by the panchayat to drink the girl’s urine. He also claimed that he never raped the girl,” said the SSP.

Manhas, however, added that none of the two families ever approached the police.

“They didn’t report the matter to the police and appeared before the village panchayat,” he said.

The officer said Hussain’s body was recovered from the lake on Sunday after it was spotted floating by some shepherds in the upper reaches of Budhal.

Another police officer from Budhal said the parents of the girl, who belonged to the same village, had approached the panchayat with a complaint of rape against the accused.

“The girl’s family sought justice and the panchayat came up with such a weird punishment,” he said.

Initial investigations into the case revealed that Hussain told the panchayat that he never raped the girl.

Subsequently, the panchayat asked his family to compensate the girl’s family with money.

“However, Fazal Hussain refused to pay any money. Thereafter, the panchayat asked him to drink the girl’s urine. Baffled by the weird diktat, he sought two days to mentally get ready for the punishment. But on Sunday, his body was found from a lake,” the official added.

› Fazal Hussain refused to pay any money (to the girl’s family). Thereafter, the panchayat asked him to drink the girl’s urine. Baffled by the weird diktat, he sought two days to mentally get ready for the punishment. But on Sunday, his body was found. A POLICE OFFICER