Gang rape case is based on the survivor's statement in court in which she alleged sexual assault by as many as seven persons.
Representational image.
The moral policing case reported in Karnataka’s Hangal town on 8 January has taken a gruesome turn, with the police registering a case of gang rape based on 26-year-old survivor’s court statement in which she alleged assault by as many as seven persons.
When Hangal Town Police — which had initially booked three people in the moral policing case — produced the victims before the JMFC Court on Thursday, 11 January, the survivor alleged that she was raped by seven people on the day of the incident.
Based on her statement, the Hangal Police has registered gang rape cases against all seven named by her.
The police have already arrested the three people named in the moral policing case, and they have been remanded in 14 days judicial custody.
Initially, the police had registered a moral policing case as the interfaith couple — the survivor and Somashekhar (45), residents of Sirsi — were said to have been attacked at the Idigas Lodge in Hangal town where they were staying by a group of people from a minority community.
The complaint was lodged by an employee of the lodge.
The police have now formed multiple teams to nab the remaining accused, who are at large.
“In the Hangal incident, the victim’s statement has been recorded under 164 of the CrPC after producing her before the magistrate. According to her statement, we are adding section 376(D). She has accused seven persons in her statement. Three are already under arrested,” said Haveri Superintendent of Police (SP) Anshu Kumar.
“Another accused is in the hospital. He will be arrested after he is discharged. We will soon arrest the rest as well,” the SP added.
During a court appearance before the JMFC, the survivor explicitly made rape allegations against the seven people, who attacked her while she was staying with a man in a lodge at Hangal town on 8 January.
“The victim has alleged that after they (the interfaith couple) were attacked in a hotel, seven people took her in a car and not only thrashed her but also physically assaulted her.”
“After the moral policing incident, the victim, while making a statement before the police, did not make rape allegations. Based on her statement before JMFC Court, rape charges have also been added and we have sent her for a medical examination,” said the police.
The three accused arrested so far are: Aftab Chandkatti, 24, Madarsab Mandaki, 23, and Abdullah Khader Hachimani, 28.
Another accused, Mohammed Saif Savikeri, met with an accident on 9 January. He suffered serious injuries and is being treated at Haveri District Hospital.
“As per the statement of the victim, there are seven accused in the rape case. We will arrest the remaining at the earliest… She did not make rape allegations till Wednesday. Based on the statement before the magistrate, we have to investigate this case. We will probe and nab the remaining accused,” stated the Haveri SP.
On 8 January, after a group of miscreants forcibly entered a lodge and assaulted an interfaith couple residing there, a complaint was filed by Vinay Kyasanur, an employee of Idigas Lodge, at the Hangal Police Station, outlining the harrowing details of the assault.
According to the complaint, the miscreants forcefully entered the couple’s room, threatening, assaulting, using offensive language, tearing their clothes, and subsequently expelling them from the lodge.
Hangal’s Police Inspector Yellappa H had initially told South First: “A group of approximately five to six individuals forcibly entered a lodge, assaulting a couple residing in the same hotel. The victims sustained minor injuries.”
“Upon receiving information about the incident, our team promptly arrived at the scene. However, by then, the victims had already vacated the hotel premises and turned off their mobile phones.”
“We managed to establish contact with them and recorded their statements. Currently, we are in the process of investigating the relationship between the victims,” Yellappa added.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka BJP on Friday hit out at the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government over the attack on the interfaith couple, alleging that a surge in crimes against women in the state reflects rampant lawlessness and that criminals operate boldly without fear of police intervention.
Taking to the social media platform ‘X’, the BJP state unit charged that the Haveri incident was a dire consequence of the complete breakdown in law and order in the state.
“The shocking sexual assault in Haveri of a Muslim women is a dire consequence of the complete breakdown in Law & Order under the @siddaramaiah -led @INCKarnataka government. The audacious act by Muslim youths, brutally attacking and abducting a interfaith couple in broad daylight, underscores the government’s failure to ensure citizen safety,” the party alleged in its post.
“The surge in crimes against women reflects the rampant lawlessness, with criminals operating boldly without fear of police intervention. @siddaramaiah’s administration has completely failed in addressing this alarming trend, allowing radical moral policing to flourish and jeopardizing the security of the state’s residents,” it further alleged.
The shocking sexual assault in Haveri of a Muslim women is a dire consequence of the complete breakdown in Law & Order under the @siddaramaiah-led @INCKarnataka government.
The audacious act by Muslim youths, brutally attacking and abducting a interfaith couple in broad…
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) January 12, 2024
(With PTI inputs)
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