Rewari gang-rape: ‘Mahapanchayat’ demands immediate arrest of two key accused

Rewari, September 21

A ‘mahapanchayat’ of 51 villages was held in Haryana’s Rewari district on Friday where the demand was raised for immediate arrest of the remaining two key accused in the gang-rape of a 19-year-old woman.

The ‘mahapanchayat’ also resolved to appeal to the parents asking them to prevail upon their children to stay away from drugs and crime.

The villagers at the ‘mahapanchayat’, a congregation of several panchayats, hit out at the state government and Haryana Police for failing to nab two of the three key accused in the case, who have been on the run for over a week now.

Held under chairmanship of sarpanch of the Garhi Bala village, Hansraj, a ‘Jan Sangharsh Committee’ was formed at the ‘mahapanchayat’ to ensure justice for the victim.

Hansraj said a discussion was held on how such incidents could be prevented in future.

Chief of Swaraj India, a socio-political organisation, Yogendra Yadav, also attended the ‘mahapanchayat’ and backed the demand for arrest of the accused.

He said a fast-track court should try the case.

“What caused the delay in registration of the FIR in the case should also be probed,” Yadav added.

The victim, a school topper who was felicitated by the government, was abducted by three men from a bus stop in Kanina town of neighbouring Mahendragarh district on September 12 while she was on her way to a coaching class.

The accused, who arrived in a car, allegedly drugged her and raped her at a room housing a tubewell for irrigation.

One of the main accused has been identified as Pankaj, an Army man posted in Rajasthan. He and another accused, Manish, are absconding.

Police arrested one of the three main accused, Nishu, on September 16, along with two others—Sanjeev, the doctor who first attended to the woman following the crime, and Deendayal, on whose property she was allegedly raped.

Meanwhile, a court in Mahendergarh district on Friday extended Nishu’s remand by four days, while Sanjeev and Deendayal were sent to judicial custody.

The case has sparked outrage across the country, with opposition parties demanding Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s resignation on moral grounds. PTI