Police complaint filed after 22 days of gang rape

Rautahat: A case has been filed with the police concerning the gang rape of a Dalit girl in Gujara Municipality, Rautahat, after a significant delay. The case was registered 22 days after the incident due to efforts by some local representatives to resolve the matter through a settlement.

On the initiative of Deputy Mayor Ratna Lama and following the instructions of District Police Chief SP Dilip Ghimire, a complaint was lodged at the Area Police Office in Garuda on 22^nd July. Although both the survivor and the accused are from Gujara, the case was filed in Garuda because the incident occurred in Katharia, according to the police.

District Police Spokesperson DSP Eliza Giri reported that a case, including charges of extortion, has been filed against the accused: Sheikh Einjamam, 20, Sheikh Mustaq, 21, and Dipendra Kumar Das, 25, all from Kanakpur Village in Gujra.

Giri stated that necessary actions have been taken following the survivor's health examination, and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The details of the incident indicate that one of the accused lured the 17-year-old Dalit girl from Kanakpur Village to an intersection between Kanakpur and Jamunia Village on the afternoon of June 29. There, all three accused, along with two others who were already present, forcibly raped the girl in turn and recorded the assault on a mobile phone.

The case initially remained concealed due to pressure from local representatives and political leaders who attempted to settle the matter privately. The survivor's family faced threats that prevented them from reporting the crime to the police.

Twenty days after the incident, Deputy Mayor Ratna Lama, upon learning of the case, visited the survivor's home and informed SP Ghimire. Subsequently, SP Ghimire asked the survivor's family to file a formal complaint at the Garuda police office.

SP Dilip Ghimire, along with DSP Rameshwar Twati, the head of the Area Police Office in Garuda, and Chief Inspector Indramani Adhikari of the Bijayapur police office, has personally overseen the legal proceedings and investigation. Deputy Mayor Lama reported that SP Ghimire emphasized that attempting to settle such a serious crime through financial transactions is itself a criminal act and should be severely punished. The three accused remain at large, and the District Police Office Rautahat is continuing its investigation into the case.