Sunday, March 25, 2012

Mar 25, 2012: Mother of tribal rape victim shot dead for not withdrawing complaint

TNN | Mar 25, 2012, 11.23AM IST
BHOPAL: The mother of a minor tribal schoolgirl who was raped in Betul two weeks ago, was shot dead by the alleged rapist and his cronies, in Betul on Friday. She was reportedly killed for refusing to withdraw the complaint that she had lodged with the police, after her daughter studying in class VII was savaged on 10 February.

The 50-year-old woman was shot right in front of her family by four men who had barged in to her home. Her daughter later told police that the four included her supposedly absconding rapist.

The four had stomped in to Imarti Bai Dhurve's home at Hamlapur on Friday night, ordering her to withdraw the complaint, which she reportedly refused . The men, identified by the police as the rape-accused Rajesh Kirar, Raju Yadav alias Bantu, Montu Yadav, and Praveen, reportedly had a heated argument with her, before she was shot. Her traumatized daughter, who was present there, said they shot thrice and her mother fell dead.

She said the alleged rapist had been threatening her mother for the last couple of days, asking to take back the rape complaint filed at the Gani police station. Fearing the worst, her family had approached the police a couple of times - but the cops, apparently, did nothing.

The girl was going to her school when she was allegedly abducted by Rajesh Kirar and a lady, identified as Rani, wife of Mantu. Rajesh had allegedly taken the girl into a room and raped her.

Rani was arrested and produced in a local court, which let her out on bail, according to Betul's Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) M L Solanki.

The ASP claimed to TOI that indications were it was Montu who had shot the woman, through her back. The ASP maintained that while her daughter stated to the cops that the alleged rapist was among the four men, her brother had denied that. Imarti's husband Shyam was sitting on a cot outside, when the men entered his home and shot his wife dead, according to Solanki.

The accused have been charged with murder, besides under the SC & ST Atrocities Act.

The ASP also claimed that the dead woman had not approached him about the threats she had after lodging the rape complaint. ``We would have lodged another case against the accused if she did,'' he said.

Anyhow, none of the four men have been arrested as of Saturday evening, more than 24 hours after the murder.
Link: Mother of tribal rape victim shot dead for not withdrawing complaint

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