A lawyers’ body in Haryana’s Rewari district said its members will not represent any of the accused in connection with the alleged rape of a 19-year-old woman last week, reported NDTV on Wednesday. “We express our grief, and have decided that none of our members will represent them,” said Ravinder Yadav, who heads the group.
On Sunday, the Haryana Police arrested one of the three main accused. Two other people were also arrested earlier. The three have been sent to five-day police remand.
The arrested were identified as Nishu, a local wrestler and one of the main accused, and two accomplices Deendayal and Sanjeev. Deendayal owned the property where the woman was found and Sanjeev is a registered medical practitioner who provided first-aid to the woman. The remaining two main accused, Army man Pankaj and college student Manish, are still on the run. Nuh Superintendent of Police Naazneen Bhasin is leading the investigation into the rape of the teenager.
As many as three men had allegedly raped the woman after kidnapping her while she was on her way to a coaching class. The woman’s father told reporters that though she has named three people in the complaint, around eight to 10 people may have sexually assaulted her.
On Monday, a “mahapanchayat” of 25 villages in Rewari also ruled that no practicing lawyer will help any of the accused, reported the Hindustan Times. It also wrote to Haryana Governor Satyadev Naryana Arya seeking strict action against the accused.
A woman sub-inspector posted at the women’s police station in Rewari was also suspended on Monday for delaying action against the accused, reported The Times of India. Inspector General Shrikant Yadav said Hiramani was suspended on the recommendation of former Superintendent of Police Rajesh Duggal, who was transferred a day earlier.
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