Mumbai Police file chargesheet in gang rape case

Mumbai Police have filed a chargesheet against the five accused of gang raping a photo-journalist, even as the prosecution has said that it is confident of seeking 'maximum' punishment for the guilty based on the 'strong' evidence it has on them.

Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police Himanshu Roy said that a 600-page chargesheet has been prepared against the accused for sexually assaulting the photo-journalist in an abandoned textile mill in the city.

The accused persons were also produced before the designated court.

The 22-year-old victim, accompanied by a male colleague to the mill for an assignment, was assaulted on August 22.

Roy told media on Thursday that the chargesheet had listed 82 witnesses and police had vital forensic and documentary evidences against the accused.

Out of the five accused in the case, one was reported to be minor against whom a separate chargesheet was filed in a juvenile court.

The gang rape had triggered protests and an outcry over social media, with many users shocked that it took place in Mumbai, widely considered to be India's safest city for women.

The crime had parallels with the gang rape of a trainee-physiotherapist on a moving bus in Delhi in December last year, in which four convicts were awarded the death penalty recently.

Both the crimes were against young professionals in a society where many men believe women should remain at home.