By Sachin Saini / The Hindustan Times
A 26-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped at gunpoint in Dholpur district of Rajasthan on Tuesday, police said on Thursday.
In her complaint registered with Kanchanpur police station on Wednesday evening, the woman alleged that she was returning home with her husband from the farm at around 6 pm on Tuesday when they were accosted by six men belonging to her village.
“She told us that the men stopped them and thrashed her husband. They also hit him with a country-made pistol,” a local police officer said, seeking anonymity.
The woman said that while her husband managed to escape, two of the six raped her at gunpoint, the officer added.
The survivor identified the six men as Lalu, Dhan Singh, Vipin, Mohit, Sachin and Lokendra Singh Thakur. “She said Lalu and Dhan Singh gang-raped her at gunpoint,” the officer said.
Dholpur (rural) circle officer Vijay Kumar Singh said the victim was sent for medical examination and the report is awaited. “We can say more about the case once the medical report arrives.”
A First Information Report (FIR) under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code, including 376-D (gang rape), and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been registered and a search is on for the accused who went missing after the incident, he added.
A second local police officer, on condition of anonymity, said a possible land dispute between the woman’s husband and the accused appeared to have led to the crime.
According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau report, crimes against Dalits increased by 37% over the past decade, while the conviction rate in such cases increased by 2.5%.
In 2019, Uttar Pradesh registered the highest number of crimes against Dalits followed by Rajasthan and Bihar.
This article first appeared on hindustantimes.com