A 26-year-old (19 to some accounts) woman of the tribal community in the Jashpur district was gang-raped by two men named Saddam Khan and Imtiaz alias Sonu Ali on 4 September. Notably, both accused, who are between the ages of 25 and 28, are associated with the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). They are residents of the Kusmi area in Balrampur district.
The matter pertains to the Bagicha police station area. The victim woman is from Manoharpur and is employed as a teacher in a private school located in the Shankargarh neighbourhood. The pair took her under the pretence of going to the Dangari Waterfall. They were already familiar with her. Police are searching for the accused who are presently absconding.
She made friends with about three to four males on social media and eventually started interacting with them frequently. She complied politely when they requested her to show them the waterfall located in the city on 4 September.
Police stated that both perpetrators visited the waterfall along with the victim posted in a private school in the Jashpur district. All three were well-acquainted and used to talk on the phone as well. She, therefore, joined them as friends.
After exploring the waterfall, the trio wandered around in a nearby desolate area which had bushes of wild plants, based on her statement. Their intentions turned wicked when they saw the alone woman and started molesting her. When she refused, the duo physically assaulted and gang-raped her.
They threatened her with life if she disclosed details about the episodes to anyone and fled from there. She managed to get to the Pandrapat police station along with her relatives and report the occurrence out of fear. A case was registered there and forwarded to the Bagicha police station.
They have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (obscene acts), and 34 (common intention). Bagicha police station in-charge Akhilesh Singh informed that the police team reached Kusmi to look for them, but they could not be found. Teams have reportedly been deployed to apprehend them and they would soon be arrested.
Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament (MP) Gomti Sai has attacked the Congress and demanded that the perpetrators must be arrested as soon as possible and locked behind bars. Accused Saddam Khan was a former secretary of the Youth Congress and social media in-charge as well, per District Panchayat President Raimuni Bhagat.
He is seen with Congress leader and Jashpur MLA Vinay Bhagat in multiple images on the internet. She proclaimed, “Vinay Bhagat needs to respond to this and Congress should apologise.”