22-Year-Old Dalit Woman Gangraped At Gunpoint In Kanpur: Report

A 22-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gangraped by two men at gunpoint. The incident took place at her residence in Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh last week, according to the local police, who were informed about it on Sunday. One of the accused men is a former village head.

Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) Keshav Kumar Choudhary said, "The incident took place a week back, but the police were informed about the alleged gangrape on Sunday," as quoted by TOI.

Also Read: Dalit Girl Raped And Killed In Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki District: Report

According to the complaint filed by the Dalit woman’s parents, the accused men forcefully entered her house when she was alone. They threatened her with a gun and then allegedly took turns to rape her at gunpoint. The accused left the house after warning the survivor to not speak about the incident to anyone. However, the woman told her mother about what had happened when the latter came back.

A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of IPC and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Three police teams headed by SHO Derapur, circle officer, and SP along with the SWAT team have been formed to investigate the case and arrest the accused who are absconding, Superintendent Keshav Kumar added.

What You Should Know:

• In Kanpur, a 22-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by two men at gunpoint.
• As per the complaint, the accused men forcefully entered her house when she was alone.
• A case has been registered against the accused under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 as well.
• UP police are on a lookout for the accused, who are reportedly absconding.

Also Read: Buxar: Dalit Woman Gangraped, Thrown Into A River With 5-Year-Old Son Who Drowns

This past month, the state of Uttar Pradesh has been in the news repeatedly for the soaring rate of sexual crimes against women. In September, a 19-year-old Dalit woman from Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras was allegedly gangraped by four upper-caste men. She succumbed to her injuries at a hospital in Delhi, on September 29, two weeks after the incident Read more about this here.

On October 16, it was reported that a Dalit girl had been allegedly raped and killed in the Barabanki district of the state. According to the girl's father she had gone to a paddy field to harvest crops on the day of the incident. When she failed to return home, he went looking for her. " I went to the field and saw her slippers. A little ahead, I found her lifeless body.” The post-mortem report confirmed that the girl had been sexually assaulted.

Image Credit: VK Singh and Company

Arunima Sharma is an intern with SheThePeople.TV.