In the midst of our battle against coronavirus, a heart-wrenching case that surfaced from Rajasthan. A 40-year-old woman alone quarantined in the school was allegedly gang-raped by three men in their mid to late 20s. The details of the horrific incident came to light on Friday.
What Happened?
Because of the lockdown, the 40-year-old woman, who stays in Jaipur in rented accommodation has been stuck for a month in Sawai Madhopur. With no transportation available, this woman decided to walk down to her residence in Jaipur. But, somehow she lost her way and reached Batoda village.
Seetaram Meena, SHO, Batoda police station, said,
“The woman lived in a rented accommodation in Jaipur and was trying to reach there. However, she somehow lost her way and found herself in a village in our police station area.”
According to officials, they asked the local administration to provide boarding and lodging to the women for the night. As the villagers were worried that she might be coronavirus infected, she was quarantined in a government school.
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An official on condition of anonymity told TOI:
“The woman was kept in a government school alone by the villagers despite the fact that the local officials asked them not to as the school was vacant. However, the villagers were worried that she might be carrying the coronavirus because of which they wanted to keep her isolated. Sometime during the night, the three accused, who are locals, raped her.”
While sharing the arrest of three accused, a police official further added:
“The accused were arrested the same day when she registered the complaint and they all are in their mid to late 20s. They probably found that the woman had been provided shelter at the school and they decided to sexually assault her. Her statement has been recorded and investigation is under way.”
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Though the investigation is still on, it is heartbreaking to see how even during a lockdown a 40-year-old woman isn’t safe in our country. With a rampant increase in domestic violence and abuse complaints during the lockdown, once again our country is failing its women.
While we hope this woman would soon get justice, we at IFORHER also hope authorities will take stringent steps to curb the increasing crime against women during the lockdown.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual
assault)
