14 years on, life term for 4 who gang-raped newly-wed Dalit

AGRA: An SC/ST court in Aligarh sentenced four members of the Bablu Mewati gang to life in jail on Tuesday for robbery and brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old newly-wed Dalit woman in 2012. The crime took place after the accused men broke into the woman’s home while she was asleep, stealing jewellery and cash before gang-raping her.

Driven by fear of social stigma, the traumatised family initially informed the cops about the theft alone, based on which an FIR was filed. However, on Jan 30, 2013, after a team of special operations group surrounded the robbers and Iqrar and Shamim, were nabbed.

In custody, the men confessed not only to the 2012 robbery, but also to rape. When police called the woman’s family to identify the culprits, they recognised all of them. According to the prosecution, during trial, accused Nazim died in a police encounter in Gujarat, while another accused — a minor at that time — faces proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board.

Special public prosecutor Chaman Prakash Sharma said, “Based on evidence and testimony collected over a decade, the SC/ST court of additional district and sessions judge, Tosh Kumar Sharma, found all of them guilty of robbery and gang rape. The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 1.6 lakh on the four convicts, Iqrar, Shamim, Nakeem and Gulfam, with half the amount to be paid as compensation to the survivor.”

Courtesy : TOI

Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights