Woman raped in car at gunpoint in Kolkata; cops seek explanation about posture of rape

February 16, 2012

raped


Kolkata, February 16: A young woman was picked up in a car outside a night club and raped at gunpoint by five men as they drove around the Maidan after midnight on February 5. They shoved a pistol into her mouth and punched and kicked her, saying "Chillaogi to thok denge (We will shoot you if you scream)." She was dumped at Exide crossing about 90 minutes later, torn, bloodied and battered.

If this sends a chill down your spine, here's worse - the police ignored her complaints when she mustered courage to report the incident two days later and even mocked her for going to a night club. Two officers allegedly passed sleazy remarks at her at Park Street police station, when she was summoned for a forensic examination on February 14. And, it was a male police officer who 'escorted' her to the test, rather than a policewoman.

The victim is still determined to fight back and trawled Facebook to get the names and photographs of the suspects, but the police brushed it off. They did not even ask her for the clothes she wore on the night of the incident. TOI is withholding the pictures of the three suspects she claims to have identified.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that the complaint was filed late. "The police are trying their best. Damayanti Sen (joint CP, crime) and Javed Shamim (joint CP, HQ) are investigating the case. A similar incident had happened in Malda when I was there and I initiated action instantly."

The victim is a mother of two and was employed with a private firm till 2010 when she resigned to take care of her children. She was born and brought up in Kolkata and always considered it a safe city. When a few friends suggested going to a nightclub on Park Street on the evening of February 5, she hesitated a bit but agreed. "We were having a small party at Grail Club on Park Street. The night club was virtually next doors and I was a regular there till a few years ago. I gave in, thinking I should go and unwind," she told TOI.

Accompanied by three friends she walked into the discotheque around 11.30pm. Her friends left a little before 1 am but she decided to hang around for some more time. She was standing near the dance floor, sipping beer, when a young man came and introduced himself as Gidwani, she says.

"This guy seemed be in his early twenties. He sounded decent and polite. So I interacted with him. After some time he introduced me to three of his friends," she said. She remembers two names, Sharafat Ali and Azhar Ali. Around 2am, she told them that she was leaving as her daughters and mother would be waiting. Gidwani offered her a lift. She hesitated, but agreed, saying she would get off wherever she found a taxi. "They advised me I should not travel alone at that hour. Since none of them had behaved indecently I thought I was safe. How would I know that the saviours would turn tormentors in a few minutes," she said.

A vehicle (a Honda Civic or City) with a driver was waiting for them outside. She and Gidwani got in. The others also piled in. Gidwani sat to her right and Sharafat to her left. There was a fourth man in the back seat and Azhar sat in front.

The rape victim says she started feeling uncomfortable with the body language of Sharafat soon after getting into the car. "I asked them to stop the car in front of Trincas (barely 10 metres away). I tried to reach for the door to open it. But Sharafat pulled me by the hair, pushed me face down, and told the driver, Salman, to speed up," she told TOI. "When I struggled to scream for help, Sharafat pulled out a pistol and shoved it into my mouth. I was punched and kicked in the stomach. I felt helpless and terrified."

She says the four men took turns molesting her. "Then Sharafat forced himself on me. I kept pleading with him but he threatened to shoot me," she said, breaking into tears. "He raped me, hurling obscene abuses."

She was beaten so mercilessly that she heard one of the other men tell Sharafat: "Bhai usko maar daloge kya, chhod do (do you want to kill him? Let her go)." But Sharafat went on raping her. "When he was done with me, he told the rest that it was their turn now, but they refused. They said, 'Isko bahar phenk do (throw her out)'," she said.

She was dumped at Exide crossing around 3.30am. She slumped on the roadside for a few minutes, before hailing a taxi to reach home. "My niece called me around 4am, inconsolable traumatized. We were horrified. We never thought something like this could happen in Kolkata," said her aunt, who stays in the opposite end of the city.

The next morning relatives flocked to her. It took another day of counselling before she agreed to go to police.

However, Park Street police station officially registered the complaint on February 9. She says she was asked uncomfortable questions and jeered at for going to a night club. "Is it a sin to go to a night club? The policemen made me feel like a criminal. I was already traumatised and they made me all the more sick," she said.

"The officer in charge asked me awkward questions in the name of investigation. He asked me how a woman could be raped inside a moving car. Then he wanted me to explain the posture in which the accused had raped me," alleged the victim. The law - and basic decency - dictates that a rape victim be handled with sensitivity. But the victim says that some officers at Park Street police station taunted her for going to a nightclub and even tried to malign her character.

Joint commissioner, crime, Damayanti Sen said on Wednesday that the victim had not told police about the lewd remarks from officers. "We will speak with her and if anyone is guilty, we will take action," she promised.

The victim volunteered for a medical examination at NRS Hospital on February 9. The report confirmed abrasions in the inside of her mouth, on the temple, and the knees. Police applied in court for a forensic test on February 10 and the examination was carried out on February 14th. Someone matching Sharafat's description was picked up but released when the victim could not identify him said Sen.



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Agencies
June 5,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 5: One man has been arrested in connection with the death of a pregnant elephant in Palakkad district here, Kerala Forest Minister K Raju said on Friday.

"One accused identified as Wilson has been arrested in connection with the case. More people are involved. The process to arrest all the accused is underway. Strict action will be taken in the matter to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the future," Raju told reporters here.

The elephant had died in Palakkad district on May 27 after it ate a pineapple stuffed with crackers and forest officials said that it died standing in river Velliyar after it suffered an injury in its lower jaw.

Raju said that the forest department has appointed three teams to probe the matter, and added that police are also investigating the incident as explosives were used.

"There may be some type of crackers inside the fruit. In such cases, blast occurs and the animal can not even drink water. The primary post mortem reports said that this case is like that. Let it be investigated," he said.

"Man and animal conflict is natural in our state as people residing close to the forests. The government gives compensation for farmers, Rs 10 lakhs compensation if a person dies in an animal attack," the Minister added.

The death of the pregnant elephant has sparked a controversy, with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan terming the unfortunate death as "a painful thing" and Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar saying that the Centre has taken a "serious note" of the incident.

According to the preliminary post-mortem report, the immediate cause of the death of the female elephant was drowning followed by inhalation of water leading to lung failure.

The elephant was seen standing in the river with its mouth and trunk in the water for some relief from the pain after the explosive-filled fruit exploded in its mouth.

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Agencies
January 14,2020

Farukkhabad, Jan 14: In a shocking incident, a new-born baby was mauled to death by a dog inside the operation theatre (OT) of a private hospital in Farukkhabad on Monday.

Family members of the baby boy said that they noticed the hospital staff shooing a dog away from inside the operation theatre and soon after, they were told the baby boy, born just two hours ago, was dead.

The family members said that they found the baby's body on the floor and it had deep gashes around the neck and other parts of the body.

District magistrate Manvendra Singh has ordered an FIR and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Chandra Shekhar said the hospital has been sealed and an inquiry ordered into the incident.

Sources said that the hospital where the incident took place was unregistered and was being run adjacent to a government hospital.

According to the FIR lodged with Sadar Kotwali police, the infant's father Ravi Kumar said he had admitted his wife Kanchan in the hospital on Monday and she was taken for a C-section to the operation theatre.

After the delivery, Kanchan was shifted to the ward but the family was told that the baby would be shifted later.

An hour later, the family was informed that the baby had died.

The family members then saw the hospital staff trying to chase a dog out of the operation theatre.

The family members forced their way into the operation theatre and found the infant lying on the floor with several injuries on the neck.

The police said that the baby's body has been preserved for examination and post mortem.

The FIR has been registered against Dr Mohit Gupta, and some of the staff members who were present during the delivery.

The hospital owner, Vijay Patel, however, feigned complete ignorance about the incident and said that he had been told that the baby was born dead.

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News Network
February 16,2020

Gorakhpur, Feb 16: Two unidentified policemen allegedly raped a 20-year-old woman in a hotel room near a railway station in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur.

The incident took place on Thursday after which the woman informed her family members. The FIR was registered in the matter on Friday, police said.

A case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including gang rape has been registered against two unidentified police men at the Gorakhnath police station, they said.

No arrests have been made so far in this connection, the police added.

Members of various political parties including Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP and Purvanchal Sena staged a sit-in demonstration at the office of the district magistrate (DM) demanding suspension of all staff members of the Gorakhnath police station as well as a magisterial probe into the matter.

"The girl is undergoing treatment at the district hospital. She has made serious allegation of rape by two policemen. During investigation we found that the hotel has CCTV footage and also took the statement of guard," SSP Gorakhpur, Sunil Kumar Gupta said.

"Prima facie, the woman went to the hotel room willingly with some men. However, a probe is underway and culprits won't be spared," he said.

The woman told media that both the policemen thrashed her and accused her of being involved in prostitution.

She claimed that she requested them to leave her but they beat her and raped her. Later, they asked her to go home in an autorickshaw.

The survivor also told media and investigating policemen that she will be able to identify the hotel room where the crime took place as well as the two policemen who allegedly raped her.

The woman said she runs coaching classes at her home and her father is a labourer.

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