Ggn gangrapes: How criminals exploit law to commit crimes

Gurugram: Haryana as a state may be improving its sex ratio but there is also a harsh reality that it is neglecting the issue of women's safety. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2017, Haryana led in the incidents of gang rapes across the country. While, in a recent data that was tabled by the state government in Vidhan Sabha, Gurugram leads in the list of crimes against women so far.

In 2018, from January 1 till June 30 as many as 95 rape cases were registered in Gurugram, followed by 90 cases in Faridabad. Moreover, with over 100 cases of sexual crimes already registered in Gurugram till date, even the minors are not safe. According to the official record, on every fourth day, a sexual crime against minor happening in the city.

At a time when the 19-year-old topper from Rewari was gangraped in Mahedargarh, on the same day, a woman from Bengal, who was residing in Delhi, was also gang-raped by two men in a moving car in Gurugram. On the pretext of providing her a job they called her to Gurugram and then raped her in a moving car on the way to Manesar. The two, who committed this act have subsequently been arrested. Both of the incidents took place at a distance of just a hundred kilometers separating the two cities.

According to official records, there are six incidents of gangrapes that have been reported from Gurugram at present. What is more shocking is that, the average number of people who have been involved in the act is said to be four to five members.

According to the police, most of the men are now indulging in gangrapes as it becomes difficult for a survivor to recognise her assaulters. The police, however, have been able to make the arrests as the culprits, who have committed these acts in the city, are belonging to the same neighborhoods.

Moreover, there is a trend that have been seen in most of the cases that the accused first abduct the victim and then take her to an isolated place to commit the crime.

In these cases, the police apathy comes to be seen as citing jurisdictions as the police are reluctant to file the FIR. Such apathy was witnessed last year in June, when a 19- year-old was not only raped by four men in Manesar but her 18-month-old daughter was also smothered during the act. It took more than six days for the FIR to be filed leading to the then Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar to also admit lapses in the working of his police.

Another challenge that surrounds the law and enforcement officials from Gurugram and Faridabad, is that there have been cases where certain culprits who committed gang rapes are not from the city. However, these cases have earlier come to fore for several times in these two major cities of Haryana.

"In most of the interrogations, we have found that gang rape is a crime that is not an impulsive reaction but a well thought crime. We understand that this is a major law and order challenge and we have taken steps to reduce it by increasing our patrolling and being strict on open drinking," said a senior police official from Gurugram.