Rajasthan: A special court for SC/ST cases in Alwar convicted the five accused of the notorious gang-rape of the Thanagazi gang-rape case the quantum of punishment is likely to be pronounced shortly.
According to the FIR, five men gang-raped a 19-year-old woman in front of her husband on May 2, 2019. Four men and a juvenile took turns to rape the woman near Duhar Chaugan between Thanagazi and Talvrikash for three hours after beating her husband while another man filmed the assault. The accused demanded Rs 10,000 from the victim for not putting the video of the gang rape on social media. The FIR was registered on the day the video of the ghastly crime went viral on social media.
Police filed the charge sheet against the accused on May 18, 2019, 16 days after the FIR. Chhote Lal (22), Hansraj Gurjar (20), Ashok Kumar Gurjar (20) and Indraj Singh Gurjar (22) were charged under sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 327 (Voluntarily causing hurt to extort property, or to constrain to an illegal act), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354B (outraging the modesty of a woman), 365 (Kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 376D (gang rape), 384 (extortion), 395 (dacoity) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati criticized the Rajasthan government during the Lok Sabha election campaign for the delay in lodging an FIR in the case and not taking action until the purported video of the sexual assault began circulating on social media.
The state government removed the then Superintendent of Police Rajeev Pachar and suspended the Thanagazi SHO Sardar Singh for alleged laxity, and ordered FIR against the SHO under section 166A(C) of the IPC. Circle officer Jagmohan Sharma was transferred out of the district after the charge sheet was filed. Another staff of the police station was sent out of the Jaipur police range.
