On Saturday (7th October), two minor girls committed suicide by consuming poison in the Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan after being raped and subsequently harassed by four of their classmates. The police have registered a case against the accused youths including a minor and arrested them.
It is notable that the police are yet to ascertain whether the girls were raped or not. Meanwhile, the bodies of the victims have been sent to a district hospital for postmortem examination.
According to the complaint submitted by the victim’s father on 6th October, the class 12 student girls were living at a rented house in the Pipalkhunt village when one of their classmates sexually abused them with the help of three of his accomplices. The girls told their family members about the crime.
Following this, the accused called the girls to the school on Wednesday to ‘settle’ the matter. The accused, on the other hand, allegedly misbehaved with the girls and thrashed them when they met and grabbed their phones when the victims attempted to inform their family members. Later, when they managed to reach their home the girls told the family about the incident. On Saturday morning, the two sisters were found near a drainage in semi semi-conscious state and vomiting.
Subsequently, the girls were rushed to Ghantali Hospital where the doctors considering the serious condition of the victims referred them to Pratapgarh district hospital. The victims, however, were declared brought dead there.
“We have detained the three accused, including a minor,” Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Budaniya said. SP Budaniya added that in the initial investigation, it was found that the charges of intimidation and molestation were true. However, the rape allegation is yet to be ascertained.”
“We are interrogating the accused persons. But no sound evidence for the rape allegation was found so far. The fact would be ascertained once the autopsy report comes out,” SP Amit Budaniya continued.
The case against the four accused was registered under Indian penal code (IPC) sections 341 (wrongfully restricting any person), 354 (assaulting women), 354-B (outraging woman’s modesty, using criminal force on her), 334 (voluntarily causing hurt on grave and sudden provocation), and 376 (rape).
Speaking to ANI, S Parimala, IG Police, Banswara informed that the case is being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). “We received info in Ghantali police station that two minor girls have consumed poison. The girls who consumed poison were referred to a hospital where they were declared dead. Their relatives reported that these two minor girls were studying in Peepal Khoont and alleged that they were harassed by a minor boy, and two of his friends, who have been detained. A special investigation team has been constituted to probe the incident.”
#WATCH | Rajasthan: S Parimala, IG Police, Banswara said, "We received info in Ghantali PS that two minor girls have consumed poison. The girls who consumed poison were referred to a hospital where they were declared dead. Their relatives reported that these two minor girls were… pic.twitter.com/1FWTFeGtJO
— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2023
In reaction to the incident, BJP leader and Rajasthan assembly LoP Rajendra Rathore blamed the state’s “jungle raj” on the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. Rathore remarked in a post on X that the current occurrence is a disgrace to humanity.
कांग्रेस के जंगलराज में महिलाओं और बेटियों पर अत्याचार चरम पर है। प्रतापगढ़ जिले के पीपलखूंट में छेड़खानी से परेशान 2 स्कूली छात्राओं द्वारा आत्महत्या किए जाने की घटना मानवता को शर्मसार करने वाली है। यह घटना प्रदेश की लचर-कानून व्यवस्था पर भी सवालिया निशान है। गृह विभाग के मुखिया… pic.twitter.com/MG1NZMD9fy
— Rajendra Rathore (@Rajendra4BJP) October 7, 2023
“Atrocities against women and daughters are at their peak under the jungle raj of Congress. The incident of suicide by two schoolgirls troubled by teasing in Pipalkhunt of Pratapgarh district is shameful to humanity. This incident is also a question mark on the poor law and order system of the state. This is not the first case under the rule of Ashok Gehlot ji who has failed as the head of the Home Department,” Rathore posted.
With numerous incidents of crimes against women surfacing from the state, the issue of women’s safety in Rajasthan has become a serious concern. Earlier last month, a tribal woman was paraded naked by her husband in Pratapgarh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also highlighted the issue of women’s safety during his recent rallies in the state.
