Four Arrested for Gangrape of MP Student, Paraded Through Streets

Bhopal: Barely six months after the state capital was rocked by the shocking gangrape of a civil service aspirant, the city was shamed yet again on Saturday as a college student was allegedly gang-raped by two men, including her ex-boyfriend.

The incident that happened on Saturday was reported to police on Sunday and the police taking swift action arrested four youths, said SP (South) Rahul Lodha.

The police later paraded the youths on the streets with several women police officials and other women raining punches and slaps on them.

Of late, police in Madhya Pradesh have taken to parading habitual eve-teasers or those accused of sexual offences through streets, as a measure of deterrence after the government came under fire for increase in crime against women.

A banking service aspirant and native of Mandideep, the survivor lives in Bhopal. She received a call from her ex-boyfriend Shailendra (21) on Saturday, asking her to meet him at a restaurant in MP Nagar area. As she reached there, he snatched her cell phone after an argument and asked her to accompany him to his friend Sonu Dangi's room, near Apsara cinema, to get it back.

Seeing no option to get back her phone, she agreed.

When the two reached Dangi’s place, the woman found three men already waiting for them and pleaded with Shailendra to let her go. Sonu Dangi (21), Dhiraj Rajput (26) and Chiman Rajput (25) were already present in the room, according to the complaint.

Shailendra and Dhiraj threatened to kill her and her family, and raped her, while Sonu and Chiman helped the duo, she told police.

Later, the boys let her go after threatening to kill her if she disclosed the matter to anyone.

All were booked for gang-rape as they were supposed to have acted with a common intention, additional superintendent of police Vikas Kumar Sahwal said. IPC sections 376 (rape), 376 (d) (gang-rape) and 365 (kidnapping) were pressed against them.

The accused confessed to the crime, DIG Dharmendra Choudhary said, adding that further probe is on.

When asked why police is parading the accused through the streets, Bhopal Inspector General of Police Jaideep Kumar said it has boosted women's confidence, and they are now coming forward to lodge complaints in such cases.

The parading has instilled a fear in offenders, he said.