On 10th September, Rajasthan police did a flip-flop in the Bhilwara gang rape case. Initially, the police claimed that the woman had consensual sex with two men, and she had gone with them on her own. However, Bhilwara Police issued a statement clarifying that though the woman went with the accused on her own, she escaped after being gang raped.
Rajasthan Police also issued a similar statement from its official handle and deleted an old tweet where they claimed that the woman was not gang raped.
The flip-flop by Rajasthan Police
On 10th September, at 11:05 AM, Rajasthan Police issued a statement from its official handle claiming that the woman who was found naked on Aamli Road was neither kidnapped nor gang raped. They said that during the investigation, the police found the woman ‘lied’ as she was scared of her husband. Furthermore, in a follow-up post, the police said her medical was done at the hospital, and they found call recordings with the accused on her phone.
At 2:59 PM, Bhilwara Police issued a statement saying the accused had been arrested. Police categorically said gang rape was confirmed, but the kidnapping complaint was found to be fake. The accused were known to the woman. She escaped after they raped her.
#BhilwaraPolice भीलवाड़ा के गंगापुर थाना क्षेत्र में महिला के साथ गैंगरेप के दोनों आरोपी गिरफ्तार।#RajasthanPolice @PoliceRajasthan pic.twitter.com/5BSJosEulc
— Bhilwara Police (@Bhilwara_Police) September 10, 2023
At 3:45 PM, Rajasthan Police’s office X handle issued another statement on the matter, removing the part that she was not gang-raped and adding that the accused were arrested. In their later tweet, the police confirmed that the forceful sexual acts against the woman were confirmed after an investigation, contradicting their earlier dismissal.
पुलिस ने करवाया पीड़िता का मेडिकल और इलाज के लिए अस्पताल ले जाया गया, मौके पर #FSL भी बुलाई गई। पीड़िता के मोबाइल में आरोपियों से फ़ोन पर हुई वॉइस रिकॉर्डिंग भी मिली।
— Rajasthan Police (@PoliceRajasthan) September 10, 2023
इसमें जबरन शारीरिक संबंधी बनाने के आरोप ने २ गिरफ़्तार।
The post where they claimed the woman was not gang raped was deleted.
Bhilwara incident
On 9th September, a woman was found naked on a road in Bhilwara, Rajasthan. She had claimed that accused men gang-raped her. She had said that the accused individuals had fled, taking away her clothes after gang-raping her. When later seen on the street crying for help, the woman 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.
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, she was forcibly abducted by three young men who forced her into a jeep during her stroll. Subsequently, the culprits subjected her to a harrowing gang rape. After committing this heinous act, the accused left the woman unclothed.
Police probe finds the woman had gone with the men willingly
However, later, the police claimed that the matter was found to be false and the woman was with the men out of her own will. According to police, they found a voice recording on the victim’s phone 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 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.
Kidnapping allegations were found to be false, but rape did occur, confirms police
Even if kidnapping charges are dropped after the recent revelations, they could be booked under other charges for trying to forcefully keep her against her will, forcing sex, and taking away her clothes. However, within hours of the initial statement, Rajasthan Police changed the statement and said that though the woman went with the men willingly and there was no ‘kidnapping’, the sexual acts were confirmed after the medical examination.
The woman has complained that she was forced to have sex against her will and was threatened and harassed by the accused men. This puts a question on the police’s earlier statement that had outright dismissed the rape allegation and had tried to paint the victim woman as a liar.
