An 80-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped in a village in Gopalganj district on March 14, during Holi celebrations. The woman had gone to a wheat field to cut grass when the accused allegedly attacked her, gagged her, and committed the crime, according to a police complaint filed by her family.
“The survivor was cutting grass in the wheat field, around half a kilometre from her house, when the villager grabbed her from behind. When she tried to free herself, he gagged her before raping her. He also assaulted her, leaving several injury marks on her body. The accused even attempted to gouge out her eyes. Believing she was dead after she lost consciousness, he fled the scene,” the complaint stated.
The woman’s family said she regained consciousness around noon on March 15, nearly 19 hours after the attack, and recounted the incident. When they confronted the accused at his home, his brother and father allegedly hurled casteist slurs at them and drove them away. Following this, they filed a written complaint at the local police station.
Based on the complaint, police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the SC/ST Act against seven people, including the prime accused, four of his family members, and two others who were present at the scene. One of them has been arrested, said the local Station House Officer (SHO).
“Raids are being conducted to arrest the main accused, his other accomplice, and four of his family members,” the SHO said.
The survivor’s daughter-in-law told police that she had been looking for her mother-in-law on Holi night when local women informed her that the elderly woman was lying unconscious in the wheat field. “She then brought her home with the help of local residents and got her treated by a local doctor,” the SHO added.
The police investigation is ongoing, and authorities have assured that strict action will be taken against the accused.
