Woman Says Gang-Raped In Murthal During Jat Agitation, Case Filed

 Edited by Jatin Gandhi


After the police said they had received no complaints, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had also issued an appeal to the people to cooperate with the police.
New Delhi: A woman has come forward and told the Haryana Police that she was gang-raped in Murthal on the night of February 22. The police have registered a case, a senior official said on Sunday.

After reports of sexual assault on a number of women at Murthal during the violent agitation demanding reservation for Jats, the state had formed a three-member team to probe the allegations. The Punjab and Haryana High court took suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report in The Tribune.

After the police said they had received no complaints, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had also issued an appeal to the people to cooperate with the police.

Police officials said while some men had called to say they saw women being dragged into the fields, no one came forward to record a statement. A truck driver claimed yesterday that he saw dozens of women being dragged to a field near Murthal, but said he didn't know if they were sexually assaulted.

"I saw almost 50 women. They were being taken to the farms. I didn't see what was done with them," he told news agency ANI on Saturday.

Another truck driver said he saw women being dragged to field near the highway. He also said he could not lodge a police complaint as he was thrashed by the protesters.

Innerwear scattered on the highway near Murthal and the account narrated by the truck drivers gave a chilling face to reports that women were raped near this popular pit-stop for travellers. 

SOURCE: NDTV