In a shocking incident, Haryana Police have booked six members of the Kisan Social Army who were protesting at Tikri Border. The accused have been booked under alleged charges of abduction and gang rape of a 25-year-old activist from West Bengal. The victim died due to Covid-19 on April 30.
“She died during treatment. The hospital authorities have told us they treated her as a Covid patient. We have applied for documents, which are awaited, and only after we get them can we confirm if her death was Covid-related,” said Vijay Kumar, Police Officer at Bahadurgarh Police Station.
The accused identified as Anil Malik, Anup Singh Chanaut, Ankur Sangwan, Kavita Arya, Jagdish Brar, and Yogita Suhag, are booked under Section 365, Section 342, Section 376D, Section 506, and Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code. Two of the accused are identified as Aam Aadmi Party leaders. They had set up a tent at the farmers’ protest site Tikri Border under the banner of the Kisan Social Army.
The silence and delay in the FIR have raised questions against the farmer leaders who were already aware of the incident. The father of the victim later filed an FIR against the accused.
As per the complaint, few leaders of Kisan Social Army had held a meeting in Hooghly, West Bengal on April 1. The victim came in contact with them and convinced her parents to allow her to join the ongoing farmers’ protest in Delhi.
The victim came to the Tikri border on April 10. In the complaint, it is alleged that one of the accused, Anil Malik forced himself upon her. When she reached the protesting site, she was forced to share the tent with the accused.
As per the FIR lodged by the deceased’s father, she narrated the whole incident over a phone call and the farmer leaders were also informed about the incident. The farmer leaders video recorded her statement and shifted her to another tent.
Later on April 21, she developed fever and was admitted to a private hospital. She tested Covid positive and died during the treatment on April 30.
As per the father complaint, the victim requested that the accused should be punished but without causing any disruption to the farmers’ movement.
Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has given a call to boycott all the accused and assured that it is going to fight a legal battle to deliver justice to the victim. However, not a single farmer leader was able to explain the reason behind silence and delay in the FIR.
The farmer leaders told the media that they came across the allegations and probed the matter on their level. Although they found all the allegations authentic, no FIR was registered.
Farmers have been protesting at various borders of Delhi against the three farm bills since August 2020.
