India News | Dalit Woman Gang-raped, Killed in Rajasthan's Bikaner; 2 Cops Among Accused

Bikaner (Raj), Jun 21 (PTI) A 20-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by three men in Rajasthan's Bikaner district, officials said on Wednesday. Two police constables have been suspended for their suspected role in the incident.

The woman's body was found in a house in an area under the Khajuwala police station limits on Tuesday, they said.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: B.Tech Graduate Held for Harassing Delhi Woman by Sending Obscene Messages.

Inspector General of Police (Bikaner range) Om Prakash said that the main accused, Dinesh Vishnoi, is at large after the incident while the role of the two constables, Manoj and Bhagirath, of Khajuwala police station is being examined.

“The woman's family members have accused three persons, including two constables, of raping her. Both the policemen have been suspended immediately and the matter is being investigated,” he said, adding teams have been formed to nab Vishnoi.

Also Read | Ukraine Updates: EU Takes Aim at Russian Sanction Dodging.

On Wednesday, the family members of the victim refused to grant consent to conduct a postmortem examination and held a dharna outside the police station with their demands that included the arrest of the accused, compensation and government job to one family member.

However, after an assurance on their demands by the police and district administration officials, the family members ended their protest in the evening, the officials said.

IGP Prakash said the family members agreed to end the dharna on assurance of investigation of the case by an SIT under his supervision, inquiry into the allegations against the policemen by a probationary IPS officer, compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the state government and Rs 15 lakh from social organisations and contractual job to one family member.

He said that the postmortem began in the evening and the funeral will be performed on Thursday. “The body will be handed over to the family after postmortem,” he said.

Police said a case under various sections, including 376-D (gangrape), of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Khajuwala police station.

The woman's family members have alleged that policemen Manoj and Bhagirath along with the third accused took her to the house, where they gang-raped and murdered her.

Citing call records, police said the victim and the key accused were known to each other.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP has attacked the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government over the incident.

Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore said that the involvement of policemen in the incident is a blot on the face of the government. The suspension of the constables is merely a formality, he added.

“It is unfortunate that till now both the accused constables have not been arrested. I demand the state government to take strict action against the guilty policemen in this case and arrest them,” Rathore said on Twitter.

Rajasthan BJP president C P Joshi said the chief minister makes allegations against the BJP and RSS to divert the anger of the rape incidents.

He said that the slogan of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, “Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon”, is forgotten in Rajasthan.

“Rajasthan is only a tourist destination for them (senior Congress leaders). They do not come here to wipe the tears of the victims...they do not see atrocities on Dalit women in the state,” he told reporters at the party office.

He said that the incidents of rape have increased in the state in the last four-and-a-half years during the Congress rule.

Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje said that the rape and murder of a Dalit woman was a shameful incident.

“The Congress government is only misleading the public with its baseless claims and false propaganda whereas the reality is that crimes against women have increased,” she said in a statement.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)