On Saturday night, September 9, 2023, a woman was found naked on a road in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, who had claimed that she was gang-raped by three men. She had said that the three individuals had fled taking away her clothes after gang-raping her. The woman, when later seen on the street, crying for help, received no assistance as bystanders assumed she was mentally disturbed. A passerby eventually took notice of her distress and contacted the police. Upon receiving this alert, law enforcement officers arrived at the scene and rescued the woman.
However, now the police are saying that the entire incident was false, and she was not gang-raped but had consensual sex with two other men. She allegedly ran away after they wanted to keep her for the entire night, but she didn’t want to stay any longer.
The incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Gangapur police station in the Bhilwara district. After being rescued by the police, the woman said that on the night of 9th September 2023, after having her meal, she had set out for a walk. However, during her stroll, she was forcibly abducted by three young men who forced her into a jeep. Subsequently, the culprits subjected her to a harrowing gang rape. After committing this heinous act, the three accused left the woman unclothed.
Gangapur CO Labhuram Bishnoi had said, “On Saturday night, a villager informed that a woman was found naked, 6-7 km from Gangapur. She has been gang-raped. On receiving this information, the police reached the spot, took the woman to Gangapur Hospital and got her medically examined. A team has been formed against the unidentified accused. The matter is serious, strict action will be taken.”
According to reports, the location of the incident is a mere 100 steps from the CO office. The men took the woman to the desolate area known as Jampura Square, situated on the hilly terrain of Amli Road, approximately 8 kilometres away from Gangapur. It was at this remote spot that the woman allegedly fell victim to a horrifying gang rape. After this, the assailants allegedly stripped her of all her clothing and left her stranded at the scene, entirely unclothed.
The woman somehow reached the street, catching the attention of a passing motorcyclist. She told him that she had been gang-raped and asked for help, after which the passerby contacted the Gangapur police and provided them with the necessary information. The police arrived at the scene at approximately 10 p.m. Reports say that the police covered the victim’s body first with the seat cover of their patrol vehicle and then with a plastic banner.
Subsequently, the police transported her to the police station. At the station, arrangements were made to provide the woman with clothing. Following this, she was taken to the DSP office for further inquiry. The victim woman was later taken to Gangapur Hospital for a medical examination.
After this incident, Gangapur CO Labhuram Bishnoi and police station in-charge Narendra Jain along with the police team reached the spot. The police also recovered the victim’s broken bangles and a youth’s undergarment from the spot. The police searched for the suspected youths in the town and nearby areas till late at night. The police have also detained three suspected youths. Additional Superintendent of Police Vimal Singh Nehra from Bhilwara, who is currently in charge of Bhilwara SP, also reached Gangapur.
The incident caused tension in the area. On getting the information, a crowd of people gathered. A large number of people gathered outside the deputy superintendent of police’s office late Saturday night to protest against the incident in Gangapur town and demanded justice.
Police probe finds the woman was with the men
However, later the police claimed that the entire matter was false and the woman was with the men who gang-raped her. According to police, they found a voice recording on the phone of the victim found at the spot, which allegedly exposed the case.
The police have said that the 25-year-old woman is from Odisha and she was married to a 50-year-old disabled man through a broker 6 years ago. As per phone records, she talked to one Chhotu Sargara, a resident of Amli Gangapur, from 7 to 7.51 PM. Chhotu Sargara told her that he was Girdhari’s friend, and Girdhari wanted to meet her. Girdhari is a former acquaintance of the woman. Discussions on money were held during this call.
The woman agreed to meet them accordingly, and she came out of the house after having dinner on the pretext of a walk. Chhotu and Girdhari were waiting at a distance, and they brought her towards on the Amli road on a two-wheeler. The two men were allegedly drunk.
According to the police, all three went to the ruins of a building near the Amli road and had sex with her one by one. However, when the two men insisted on keeping her for the whole night, she disagreed and wanted to go home. There were also disputes regarding money. This led to an argument between them, and the accused took her clothes and refused to give them to her. As a result, she got scared and ran naked towards the road. A passerby spotted her, covered her with a shawl, and called the police.
Police said that the woman gave wrong facts in the beginning due to the fear of her husband, as she feared that he would leave her if he knew the fact. Both the men, Chhotu Sargara and Girdhari, who had fled from the spot have been detained by the police. Even if rape charges are dropped after the revelations, they could be booked under other charges for trying to forcefully keep her against her will and taking away her clothes.
While this case may turn out to be a false case, women’s safety has been a matter of concern in recent times in Rajasthan. Many cases of heinous crimes against women were reported in the state. On 21st July 2023, Rajasthan’s Rural Development Minister, Rajendra Singh Gudha also raised the question of women’s safety in the state, however, he was sacked by the Congress government after he raised this issue in the state assembly.
