Rajasthan: Sub-inspector raped a 5-year-old Dalit girl, the victim’s father, who went to file an FIR, was beaten in the police station.

In a shocking incident, a sub-inspector in Dausa raped a five-year-old girl from the Dalit community. The accused has been suspended and reportedly arrested. When the victim’s father went to the police station to lodge a complaint, he was seriously injured, breaking his hand.

A shocking incident has come to light from Dausa district of Rajasthan, a 54-year-old police sub-inspector (SI) has been suspended and arrested for raping a 5-year-old Dalit girl. The suspension comes amid political pressure as the BJP attacked the Congress government and criticized the law and order situation in the state, condemning the government’s alleged inaction on women’s safety. A massive protest took place in Lalsot village after the girl’s father, who had gone to lodge a complaint at the police station, was beaten up.

The accused SI, who has been identified as Bhupendra Singh, was taken into custody by Rajasthan Police on Friday. Superintendent of Police Vandita Rane confirmed the suspension of the accused on X in a statement issued on Saturday, November 11, saying, “We have suspended the officer immediately after his arrest. He is being interrogated and further investigation is underway.”

The incident came to light in Lalsot, where the accused SI was reportedly on election duty. The officer allegedly lured the little girl with Rs 50 and then took her to his rented apartment, where he raped her along with another officer. The girl went home and informed her parents about the incident.

As news of the incident spread, tension and anger increased, leading to a massive protest by villagers outside the local police station. The angry mob reportedly thrashed the accused man, who had locked himself in a room at the police station when he heard that there was a mob outside angry over his alleged actions.

Amidst the growing public anger and unrest, the Director General of Rajasthan Police took immediate action and ordered the dismissal of SI Bhupendra Singh from the police service.

Politicians’ reactions

The Bharatiya Janata Party has seized the opportunity to criticize the Congress-led government in the poll-bound state and has used the incident of rape violence as evidence of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

BJP leader Ramcharan Bohra says, “The way rape incidents have been increasing in the last 5 years, the law and order situation in the state is deteriorating… the time has come to remove the present government in the state.” ‘

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has also given a statement on the incident, commenting on the role of Congress and its leadership, saying, “Minor girls are being tortured every day in Rajasthan and such cases keep coming. Ashok Gehlot’s government has completely failed.”

In turn, former Union minister and Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh, has accused the BJP of indulging in polarization tactics in Rajasthan because “they have no other issues.” He further told PTI, “…as far as crimes against women are concerned, immediate action is taken against the accused in the state.”

In response to the incident, ANI reported that National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairman Priyank Kanungo has also expressed concern and promised prompt action. Calling the incident an indicator of systemic insensitivity, Kanungo said, “We have taken cognizance of it… We are issuing a notice to the Rajasthan government… This shows how insensitive the system has become… We are We are taking action as per the preliminary information received.” , Furthermore, Kanungo recommended sensitivity and adherence to child rights during investigation and also mentioned the need to provide protection to parents and counseling for the victim.

Violence against dalits

According to data presented in the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, crimes or atrocities against Scheduled Castes saw a 1.2% increase in 2021, totaling 50,900 cases compared to 50,291 cases in 2020. In this record, Rajasthan was at second position. The number of reported incidents is 14.7% (7,524 cases).

The most recent data from NCRB shows that there has been an alarming 45% increase in rape cases involving Dalit women from 2015 to 2020. According to an Al Jazeera story, statistics during this period show that an alarming average of 10 cases of rape against Dalit women and girls have been recorded every day in India.

Similarly, according to Al Jazeera, a report by the Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network (DHRDN), the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the National Council of Women Leaders (NCWL) highlights that many forms of violence against Dalit women are In cases, FIRs are filed only after NGOs and activists engage in pressure tactics. Furthermore, reports suggest that the process of filing an FIR can take up to three months on an average. The report concludes that even though filing an FIR is a difficult process, it also does not guarantee that justice will be served in such cases.

Courtesy: News Click

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