Rajasthan: Three College Students Gangrape Dalit Minor Girl, Thrash Boyfriend; Accused Arrested

A 17-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang rapped by three college students while her boyfriend was thrashed in Jodhpur Rajasthan in the early hour hours of Sunday.

According to the report by PTI, the police informed that the three accused had first attacked the boy and then took turns to rape the minor girl. They were arrested hours after the incident occurred.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has instructed the state police to ensure strict punishment for the accused as he spoke to the Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra about the incident in Jodhpur. Gehlot also praised the police for their prompt action in arresting them.

The three accused are a part of the RSS' student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and were canvassing for a student leader seeking a ticket from the party but the AVBP has informed that they have no links with the accused. 

What happened? 

The minor girl eloped with her boyfriend from Ajmer on Saturday then they took a bus to reach Jodhpur around 10:30 pm. After that the two went to a guest house for a room but the caretaker misbehaved with the girl so they left, reportedly said Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Amrita Duhan.

The two then went to Paota Chauraha, where the three accused -- Samandar Singh Bhati, Dharmpal Singh and Bhattam Singh (aged 20-22) -- approached them.

The DCP said that the accused befriended the girl and her boyfriend as they offered them food and cold drinks. Further, they offered help to the couple after listening to their journey and in the early hours of Sunday, took them to the old campus of Jai Narayan Vyas University (JNVU) with the pretext of taking them to a railway station. 

They reached the hockey ground on the campus and thrashed the boy and held him hostage. Reportedly after that, they took turns to rape the girl as the boyfriend watched without being able to do anything, according to the DCP.

How did the police arrest the accused? 

As a few hours went by and some morning walkers reached the campus, the boy managed to seek help from them and inform the police about the incident. 

Reportedly the police swung into action and launched a hunt for the accused. A dog squad and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team were also at the spot.

After a few hours of search, they traced the accused in a house in Ganeshpura near Ratanada in Jodhpur. Reportedly the accused tried to flee but were injured after they fell, two of them fractured their legs and another one sustained a hand injury. 

DCP Duhan said, "We arrested all of them after treatment."

According to the reports, Samandar Singh is a first-year student at JNVU, Dharm Pal Singh is a post-graduation student at JNVU and Bhattam Singh is pursuing B.Ed from Ajmer.

Police said they have also arrested the guest house caretaker for allegedly misbehaving with the girl.

An FIR mentioning both the incidents (misbehaviour at the guest house and gang rape at the hockey ground) has been registered with the local police station under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, IPC and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act are filed.

Political parties on the incident

ABVP national secretary Hushiyar Meena reportedly said that the accused have no links with the student group and he claimed, "The ABVP demands the strictest punishment for the accused. The law-and-order situation of Rajasthan is deteriorating day by day and the safety of university campuses is being neglected by the Congress government."

Chief Minister Gehlot said there were reports of the involvement of people associated with the BJP and their organisations in rape incidents in Jodhpur and in Datia of Madhya Pradesh. Gehlot reportedly said, "Due to such incidents, the character and face of the BJP have been exposed."

Gehlot said BJP president JP Nadda maintained silence and did not even condemn these incidents which showed the seriousness of the party on women's safety.

Gehlot took to Twitter and wrote, "No matter how influential the accused is, the state government will secure the harshest punishment to the culprits to get justice for the innocent daughter."

Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) in Jaipur president Abhishek Choudhary said the student group will give a representation to the governor against the ABVP on Monday. He reportedly said, "This incident is a blot on humanity. The strictest action should be taken against the accused. We will hand over a representation to the governor against the polluted ideology of ABVP."

Congress leader and Social Welfare Board chairperson Archana Sharma said in Jaipur that the police promptly arrested the accused, which shows the state government's commitment to women's safety.