In the Koriya district of Chhattisgarh, two tribal community leaders have been arrested on allegations of raping a 25-year-old and a 17-year-old.
The two victims were in relationships their families opposed over differences in caste. The women were separated from their partners and allegedly left with two men, one 75-year-old Daroga Singh, and his 56-year-old brother-in-law Ramesh Tekam.
The 25-year-old tribal woman informed the police that she had married a man outside her caste in April this year.
On 4th of July 2026, her parents forcibly brought her back home after Daroga Singh and Ramesh Tekam allegedly incited them. The women were handed over to the accused duo, who then allegedly raped the women multiple times and compelled them to consume abortion pills.
Reports say that the 25-year-old rape victim was five months pregnant.
“On the pretext of keeping her safe, the duo allegedly gangraped her multiple times on July 4, as well as made her consume pills in a bid to end her pregnancy,” a police official said, adding that the 17-year-old girl kept in captivity was also raped by Singh and Tekam.
It was only after the victim managed to contact her husband that she could be rescued by the police on 5th July.
Earlier this year, the minor girl had eloped with a man from outside her caste. The man was booked under the POCSO Act. After some time, her parents sent her to the two tribal community leaders.
A few months ago, the victim’s family filed a missing report. However, upon learning that she had done an intercaste marriage, they withdrew the complaint. While the police assumed that the family may have accepted the marriage, the victim’s parents acted against her due to community pressure.
Now, Ramesh Tekam and Daroga Singh have been booked for gangrape, forced abortion, and other relevant charges. The police have also invoked the POCSO Act against them. Tekam had faced similar allegations in 2021 as well.
On 19th July, the police arrested Singh and Tekam from the Chandni-Biharpur area. The duo were presented before the court, and they were then sent to judicial custody.
