4 youths acquitted in gangrape case of Dalit girl

A fast-track court here has acquitted four youths for lack of evidence in a case of kidnapping of four Dalit girls and the gangrape of one of them in the district last year which had sparked a loud hue and cry.
After hearing the arguments for both sides, Additional District and Sessions Judge Alka Malik yesterday acquitted Lalit, his brother Sumit, and Sandeep Swami (all residents of Bhagana village) and Sandeep, a resident of Kungar village in Bhiwani district.
While the four accused were acquitted for lack of evidence, the trial of a fifth one -- Dharamvir of Bhagana village -- is pending before a juvenile court here.

Upon a complaint by an 18-year-old Dalit girl, police here had booked the said youths under Sections 376 (rape), 363, 366 (kidnapping), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and provisions of the POCSO and SC/ST Act for the alleged crime last year.
The complainant alleged that herself and three of her friends aged between 15 and 18 years were kidnapped by the five youths who had then gangraped her.
It was alleged that the four girls, all belonging to the Dalit community, were kidnapped on March 23 evening when they had gone to a field to relieve themselves. According to the complaint, the five youths had arrived there and dragged them to a jeep before drugging them, making them unconscious.

The youths allegedly took them to Bathinda, where they freed them at the local railway station. The girls thereafter informed their family members and were subsequently brought back to Bhagana village by police.
It may be recalled that the case was highlighted in the media after the victims along with their families held protests in Delhi last year demanding justice.