The gang rape of a Dalit woman in front of her husband at Thanagazi in Alwar on April 26, 2019, when the couple was riding a motorcycle to go shopping, generated political heat during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and also led to a Important decision in Rajasthan.
It was after this case that the state government announced that a deputy superintendent of police (DySP) in each district would monitor cases related to violence against women, and said that the FIRs could be housed in the offices of police superintendents ( SP) if the police stations did not register them.
The Ashok Gehlot government had faced criticism for the delay in FIR’s registration in the Thanagazi case because the local police station did not file the case for five days. It took another five days to arrest the accused.
According to the family of the gang rape survivor, the woman went to Alwar SP’s office with a complaint on April 30, 2019, after the local police station failed to attend to her. The FIR was registered on May 2, 2019. The arrests took place on May 7, 2019.
The family said the video of the sexual violence began circulating on May 4, 2019, but police took action only on May 7. The family said they were told by local police that they could act on the case only after the Lok Sabha elections.
Alwar went to the polls on May 6 in the fifth phase of last year’s general election.
The Rajasthan government was also attacked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bahujan Samaj party chief Mayawati during the election campaign, forcing then-President of Congress Rahul Gandhi to visit the family on May 11, 2019, with Gehlot and the then head of the PCC, Sachin Pilot.
Gehlot announced a government job for the survivor and compensation for the family. The survivor became a police officer on June 26, 2019.
Bharatiya Janata Rajya Sabha Party Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Kirodi Lal Meena requested the arrest to demand the resignation of the prime minister and action against the police superintendent of Alwar and Thanagazi SHO.
The Gehlot government ordered a police and administrative investigation against the district police officers for their alleged laxity. The then Alwar SP Rajeev Pachar was removed from office and Thanagazi SHO Sardar Singh was suspended on 7 May.
The police took the case under the ‘case officer’ scheme, a special program by the Rajasthan police to monitor the prosecution and bring it to its logical conclusion.
On June 7 of last year, the state government ordered FIR against the SHO under section 166A (C) of the IPC, which covers a public servant who does not record the information provided to him in relation to a recognizable crime. The circle officer, Jagmohan Sharma, was transferred out of the district after filing the charge sheet. Other personnel from the police station were sent out of reach of the Jaipur police.
The administrative investigation by Jaipur Division Commissioner KC Verma found Pachar guilty of negligence, as he did not visit the site within 24 hours of the incident, after a police investigation had given him a clean note.
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