A 30-year-old Muslim woman was allegedly gang-raped in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawa by a village panchayat head and 2 members of the same family. The village head Bhola Yadav belonging to Samajwadi Party, allegedly gang-raped Anam (name changed) along with two members, in their house on March 19.
Deepa Devi, the Pradhan’s wife had called Anam to come and cook biryani for them, saying “we don’t know to cook biryani and such. Please come and cook for us.”
Anam’s mother is a domestic helper, just because her mother was not well, she went to their house in her mother’s place. When she didn’t return back home then her brother Shareef came to see her and he found her in a very inebriated condition.
The Muslim woman’s brother, Shareef told THG, “When I went to the panchayat head’s home to check why my sister hasn’t returned, I saw Anam lying in a corner in a very inebriated condition. Her clothes were torn, she had bruises all over her face and body. She looked intoxicated. I asked the head and his family what they did to my sister. I was also beaten up but somehow I could manage to take her back.”
Meanwhile, her husband had been to Delhi for some business and he was called immediately to return to the village.
“I’ve known Anam for 12 years. I’ve never seen her in such a condition. She was forcefully made to drink alcohol and gang-raped by men,” Mohammed Sajid, the victim’s husband said to THG.
On March 24, Anam got to her senses she was devastated and badly traumatized, she couldn’t control herself so she lonely ran towards the rapists to confront them. Ever since she was missing.
“She didn’t tell us anything,” Sajid said, “but all her clothes were torn. She has been harassed. When Anam gained consciousness, she even tried calling the head. But he didn’t talk to her. So the next day she went to their home to confront them. After that, she has gone missing. She hasn’t returned home. We don’t know what they’ve done to my wife.”
Her family has been supposedly running from one office to another to demand justice for her and find her immediately. They have also filed a complaint at the Bhogaon police station that she is missing, but they have not yet got any response from the cops.
The victim’s family has lodged FIR under IPC sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (Insult intended to provoke breach of the peace), and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) However, the police have denied to register a complaint under IPC section 376 (punishment for rape).