Haveri: Moral policing victim alleges gangrape by vigilante gang

In a disturbing incident reported from Haveri, a victim of moral policing claimed that she was subjected to repeated gang rape by vigilantes after being forcibly dragged out of a hotel for being in the company of an individual from a different religious community.

The incident took place in Hangal town on January 8. In the video, released on Thursday the victim who belongs to a minority community claimed that five to six men barged into the hotel room, questioned her, and took her on their bikes forcibly.

The assailants then took her to an isolated location where they assaulted her brutally and gang-raped her. This horrifying ordeal continued as she was taken to two to three different places where she was repeatedly gang-raped. Later she was forced into a car where the driver also raped her. The accused later took her to a National Highway and she got on a bus.

“I want them to be punished,” she demanded in the video in an appeal to the police.

The victim’s husband came before the media and stated that his wife was gang-raped by the vigilante gang.

“They had kidnapped and inhumanly attacked my wife. She had opened up about this brutality with one of the family members. She had not told me,” he stated.

Reacting to the development, Haveri SP, Anshu Kumar Srivastava, stated that based on the video statement by the victim, a case would be filed and investigated.

Earlier, the woman had gone to the police station in Hangal and made a statement before senior officers and policewomen.

“The gang-rape matter was not reported at that time. Now that she has come out and narrated the incident her statement would be recorded and stringent action would be initiated in the case,” Srivastava stated.

 

With IANS inputs