2 held for slashing rape victim’s tongue

ALLAHABAD: Police have arrested two of the three relatives of the rape accused who tried to slash the tongue of the victim in a bid to terrorise and prevent her from giving statement in court.

One of the accused Indal Pasi was arrested late Thursday evening while Lalji Saroj was taken in on Friday. The third, an unidentified man, was still at large.

The incident, which sent shockwaves in the state, saw chairman of state’s women’s commission Zarina Usmani on Friday meeting the victim, who has been admitted to district hospital for treatment.

While replying to a ques- tion of mediapersons Usmani said the victims’s tongue had not been completely cut but an attempt to cut it had been made.

The victim, who belongs to Naubasta village under Jethwara police station in neighbouring Pratapgarh district, was raped by one Lavlesh, hailing from Hariharpur in Jethwara, on the night of January 22. He was arrested and sent to jail.

Eversince then, accused’s brother Lalji had been trying to dissuade the girl from appearing in the court. The girl was to appear in the court on July 24. The court has already recorded the statement of the victim’s father.

Having failed i n their attempts, the accused’s relatives lay in wait for the victim outside her house Wednesday night. They pounced on her when she came out of the house to answer nature’s call. They dragged her to some distance where they tried to slash her tongue with a knife.

She was later rushed to district hospital in Pratapgarh where doctors had to apply some stitches to the tongue.