Hundreds hit the streets in Patna to protest against gang-rape

Police here on Friday charged the baton and used water cannons to quell hundreds of young men and women - most of them students of Patna University - who had poured out on the streets of the city braving winter rains to express outrage over the gang-rape of a 20-year-old earlier this week.

The victim has alleged that the four perpetrators were known to her and had exploited her sexually a few months back before raping her again a few days ago following which she lodged a police complaint.

"The girl resides in a locality under Pataliputra police station area. She has alleged in the FIR, given statement to the effect before a magistrate, that she was sexually assaulted by four boys who had formerly been her classmates inside an outhouse of an apartment in Gandhi Path area of the city," the Station House Officer (SHO) of Mahila Thana, Arti Kumari Jaiswal, told reporters here.

"She has admitted that the boys had forced themselves upon her in October and filmed the act and used to blackmail her for sexual favours.

"On December 9, when she abused was once again, she decided to bring the matter before the police," the SHO said.

She has given the names, addresses and mobile numbers of all the accused who are on the run and the phones are switched off.

Efforts are, however, being made to catch them at the earliest, Jaiswal said.

"In the meantime a medical examination has been conducted on the victim and we would be able to say more on the issue after report comes out," Jaiswal added.

The victim is said to be a student of Patna University and as the news spread across the campus like wild fire, hundreds of men and women took the streets and staged a dharna at the Kargil Chowk close by demanding immediate arrest of the accused.

"The perpetrators are also students of the University whose immediate expulsion is demanded by us. We are appalled by the apathy of the varsity administration.

"The principal of the college where the girl studies says he is not even aware of the incident," Patna University Students' Union president Manish Kumar Yadav said.

Girl students, who had come out in large numbers notwithstanding the clammy weather and the unpleasant drizzle, could be heard screaming "we want justice. The perpetrators should be hanged".

The demonstration, which was held at a crossroad connecting the densely populated old city area with its bustling commercial hub, threw road traffic out of gear prompting police personnel to reach the spot in large numbers to disperse the agitators.

Senior officials were seen holding hand-held mics and loudspeakers through which they made appeals to "withdraw the demonstration which has been deemed to be illegal".

The youngsters refused to badge and some of them hurled stones at the police personnel whom they accused of "trying to shield the well-connected perpetrators".

Normal traffic resumed after several hours of pitched battle which ended with lathi charge and use of water cannons even as heavy deployment of police remained in place to prevent fresh eruptions of tension.

Meanwhile, police sources said that two of the accused - Manish and Vipul - surrendered before the court claiming innocence but promising full cooperation in the investigation.