: The National Commission for Minorities in its report on the Dingerheri gang-rape case has advised the Haryana government to take steps to promote communal harmony and restore confidence in the functioning of the police. The report also alluded to allegations about the attackers being cow vigilantes.
Cow vigilantes
In its seven-page report on the matter, the commission said that “the incident has shaken the people of the area and there is a lot of resentment, especially among the Muslim community, partly due to allegations that the culprits were ‘gau rakshaks’ .”
The report said the role of the police in handling the case was being widely criticised, and though the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the State government was “well-advised to take steps to promote communal harmony and restore people’s confidence in the functioning of the police”. The report added that “there is a need to convey a clear message that culprits of such heinous crimes would not be spared. Such a step is more relevant in the case of Mewat district.”
Statement recorded
in haste
Referring to a visit to Dingerheri by a team from the commission, the report said that most people who interacted with them said the statement of the rape victim was recorded in haste while she was in trauma and breathless.
It said that the rape victim had stated that the accused asked them if they ate beef, but that this fact had been omitted from the statement recorded under section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and that the accused were ‘ gau rakshaks’ .
Appreciating the government for paying double the compensation to the victims, the report said that “the State authorities should co-ordinate with the CBI to ensure quick completion of investigation in the case by the latter”.
It also urged the State government to give regular employment to the kin of the victims and not casual employment.
