Published On : Mon, Jan 30th, 2017

HC raps Naxal sympathizers for bogus story as 2 tribal women deny rape by Gadchiroli cops

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Nagpur:
In a major twist, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed the petition filed by Adv Nihalsing Rathod alleging rape of two tribal women by Gadchirloli police. The High Court released the two women immediately and handed over them in the custody of their relatives. The tribal women told Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice Indira Jain that police did not rape them. In fact, police gave them food and shelter.

The High Court also rapped Naxal sympathisers for cooking up a totally bogus story of rape of the two women by Gadchiroli police.

In pursuance of the High Court order passed on Sunday, January 29, the two tribal women Pandari Mura Gota and Luli Birju Timma were produced in the court on Monday.

On Sunday, the High Court had directed respondent police authorities to immediately keep two tribal girls in protection homes and sternly warned police officers not to interact with them. According to social activists, the two girls, who had allegedly charged the cops with sexual assault, were virtually abducted by police personnel in plaincloth froma the lawyer’s office on Saturday night. The cops who refused to reveal their identity, also arrested some activists and Naxal sympathisers, they alleged and filed an urgent habeas corpus petition before the High Court on Saturday night itself.

The matter was placed before a special division bench consisting of Justice Bhushan Dharmadhikari and Justice Swapna Joshi who directed the cops to produce those two girls before the court within half an hour.

The High Court taking a serious note of happenings, directed Additional Public Prosecutor Shishir Uke to instruct the authorities to keep girls in protection home and restrained police from having any conversation with them till the matter is placed before regular bench. From last few days, there were spate of allegations and counter allegations over this issue. While the organisations close to naxalites alleged that two tribal girls were forcibly taken by Gadchiroli police and were subjected to sexual assault, the police authorities have debunked the charges while accusing the naxal and their frontal organisations with cooking up a false story to malign the image of police. The girls were examined by medical experts and it was revealed that there was no sexual assault and whole story was concocted to demoralise the police force, the authorities stated.