In a major development in the Varanasi gangrape case, Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal has said that there will be no further arrests in the case until the probe is completed by an SIT formed for the purpose. The police have so far arrested 14 accused in this case, in which a 19-year-old girl was gangraped by 23 youths over a period of 7 days.
The development came after the families of the accused youths questioned the version of the victim girl. In a memorandum submitted to the Police Commissioner, they raised the question that if the girl was being molested for so many days, then why did she not complain to the police earlier. They also claimed that there are no marks of any kind of injury on the girl’s body and it is a matter of investigation.
They also alleged that the girl took money from some youths and did not include their names in the FIR and money was demanded from some others.
Moreover, the families showed several videos and Instagram chats to the police, apparently showing that the girl was active on social media during the 7-day period. The FIR claimed that the girl was gangraped by 23 youths from March 29 to April 4, but a video from 31 March allegedly showed the girl with three of the accused outside a restaurant, while the fourth accused was making a video.
In other videos, the girl is seen roaming around with the accused in a normal condition, raising questions about the claim that she was drugged and abducted. In other videos, the girl is seen roaming around with the accused in a normal condition, raising question on the claim that she was drugged and abducted. A CCTV footage also purportedly shows the girl riding a bike during the time period of the alleged gang rape as mentioned in the complaint.
The memorandum further claimed that the girl herself had messaged one of the accused, asking him to come to a cafe. It was also claimed that the girl initially named 23 people but identified only nine in her court testimony, which suggests possible manipulation or coercion.
Police Commissioner Agarwal confirmed that when the victim girl was first located by authorities, she neither mentioned rape nor expressed a desire to return home. “Only after a lengthy conversation with the officers did she agree to go back to her family,” he said.
Following these allegations and finding that the victim’s social media account was active during her abduction, the police commissioner formed an SIT to probe the case. The SIT, led by Pramod Kuma,r includes female officer ADCP Neetu, ACP and an inspector. SIT will have to submit its report within 30 days. Moreover, further arrests have been stopped in the case.
