Farmers Movement Archive

Six from Tikri border protest site booked for gang rape of activist

ROHTAK/BATHINDA: In a first incident of its kind at the farmers’ protest site, the Haryana Police on Sunday night booked six persons for gang rape and abduction of a 25-yearold activist at Tikri border. The accused, identified as Anil Malik, Anup Singh, Ankush Sangwan and Jagdish Brar along with two women, had pitched tents at Tikri border under the banner of Kisan Social Army and have been booked under sections 365, 342, 376-D, 506, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code. According to the details in the FIR, a delegation of farmers, including the accused, had held a public meeting in Hooghly, Bengal, on April 1. The victim, an artist and designer, had come in contact with them and she convinced her parents to allow her to go to a protest site in Delhi to support the farmers. On April 11, on the way to Punjab on train, accused Anil Malik tried to force himself upon her but she resisted and asked him to go away. On April 12, on reaching Delhi border protest site, the victim was forced to share the tent with the accused as she was alone, the FIR stated. She told her father on phone that the accused had not been decent with her and was trying to pressurise and blackmail her. Her family brought the issue to the notice of farm leaders and her statement was video-recorded. She was shifted to another tent with women protesters. However, the victim developed fever on April 21 and was shifted to hospital where she was diagnosed with Covid-19. When her father joined her at the Delhi hospital for treatment, she confided in him that she had been sexually assaulted on the train and in the tent by the accused. No farmer leader willing to explain delay in filing of FIR She also requested that the accused be punished but without harming the farmers’ movement. She died during treatment at a private hospital on April 30. No farmer leader was willing to explain the reason for the delay in filing of the FIR in the case especially as the victim had complained against the accused at Tikri border and had been shifted from the tent of the accused much before she fell ill and before her death had recorded a video statement that was shared with farmer leaders. The SKM leaders said after they came to know that a woman has been sexually harassed at Tikri border, they investigated the matter and did not want to make any comment without verifying the exact details. “After it was ascertained that the woman’s claim was correct, we started the action.” However, SKM failed to explain why they did not approach the police as the woman’s claim was authenticated four days ago and the Kisan Social Army camp was removed from the site. “Most of the SKM leaders knew about the incident, we are surprised why they kept silent and did not allow us to meet her father, who was under immense pressure. If any leaders are at fault, they too should be asked about all what happened and why there was delay in taking action,” BKU Ekta Ugrahan woman wing head Harinder Kaur Bindu told TOI. BKU Ekta Ugrahan president Joginder Singh Ugrahan, whose organization has a massive presence at Tikri border, told TOI when the matter was brought to their notice they conducted a preliminary inquiry and found the victim’s statement to be true. “The accused have been removed from the protest site and an FIR has been registered against the accused, the SKM leadership stands in support of the victim's family,” he said, adding: “No one is permitted to misbehave with the women and SKM is ready to provide any kind of help to the victim’s family in ensuring justice in the case.” Sanyukt Kisan Morcha on Sunday gave a call for social boycott of all accused who sexually harassed the victim. The Morcha on Sunday clarified that it will engage in legal fight against the accused and will stand by the aggrieved family. The morcha has also decided to set up a committee where complaints of harassment of women could be made. Punjab Kisan Union leader Jasbir Kaur Natt, who was in direct contact of the woman before her demise, told TOI: “it is matter of serious concern which needs to be debated threadbare. Here at protest there is no difference between males and females and women in large numbers are participating. The farmers will investigate and ensure no such thing is allowed to happen again.” In a statement issued on Sunday in the names of ninemember committee of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha stated that when the case came to fore the morcha committees decided to take stern action against the accused. The Tikri committee removed the tent of Kisan Social Army and announced ouster of the accused from the movement apart from giving call for social boycott of the accused. The SKM said that Kisan Social Army was not its authorised representative and its social media handle was not associated directly with SKM. (The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault) Watch Woman allegedly gang-raped while visiting farmers' protest site at Tikri border

The Times of India

2021-05-10

Chandigarh