Jodhpur High Court issues notice to Rajasthan government over multiple rape incidents

The Jodhpur High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Rajasthan government in the wake of recent incidents of rape, including the gangrape of a scheduled caste woman in front of her husband in Alwar. According to the ANI news agency, the high court has sought Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government’s reply seeking detailed information about the multiple incidents of gangrape in the state.

Days after the Awlar gangrape triggered protests across the state, another woman from the SC/ST community was gangraped by two men at a hospital in the district’s Kathoomar town. Another incident took place in the nearby Bharatpur district where 16-year-old mentally challenged girl was allegedly raped by a man. In addition to these incidents, a five-year-old was sexually assaulted in the Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh.

The opposition BJP in the state, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has accused the Congress-led Rajasthan government of trying to supress the Alwar gangrape incident in the wake of Lok Sabha elections on May 29 and May 6.

The incident had taken place on April 26 but the police allegedly told the victims to wait till the elections are over. The FIR in the case was registered on May 2 but the case came to light only on May 6 after the accused shared the video on social media.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday visited Alwar to meet the family of the victims and assured them justice. Speaking to reporters after meeting the victims, Gandhi said that he didn’t go there to do politics and refused to respond to PM Modi’s attack.

“The only thing I would say is this girl, this family, will get justice. I have not come here to do politics. It's an emotional thing for me. I have come here to meet the survivor,” Rahul Gandhi had said after meeting the victim’s family.