In Rajasthan’s Barmer district, a 30-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by the accused, Shakur Khan, who fled from the spot, and the search for the man is still on, Nitish Arya, Additional Superintendent of Police of Barmer District, said.
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Rape is the most common crime committed against women in India. Recently, an incident was reported that took place in the Barmer district of Rajasthan, in which a 30-year-old Dalit woman was raped by a man who belonged to the same village. He entered the house when she was alone and assaulted her; after that, he set the accused on fire and fled from the spot. She was referred to Jodhpur Hospital for treatment.
The Dalit woman, a mother of two children, suffered from 40–50% of burn injuries and is in critical condition. The incident was reported to the police by the neighbours, who gathered on the spot after hearing the woman’s screams. They asked the police officials to keep their identities anonymous. The victim’s statement has not been recorded yet, as she is in critical condition.
A Case registered against the accused for committing Rape
A case was registered by police officials under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 376 (punishment for rape), 450 (house trespass to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment for life), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and other sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act (Prevention of Atrocities).
Rape, a cognizable and non-bailable crime
Rape is defined as “a type of sexual assault initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person’s consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, under threat or manipulation, by impersonation, or with a person who is capable of giving valid consent.” It is classified as a sexual assault by many countries. It was thought to be caused by overwhelming sexual desire, but now it appears as if the crime is committed to assert power over the victim.
A cognizable offence is an offence for which a police officer, under the first schedule or any other legislation in effect, can arrest a suspect without a warrant and can investigate without the court’s consent, but they are still liable to generate the First Information Report (FIR). Heinous crimes like rape, murder, theft, kidnapping, dowry death, etc. come under the category of cognizable offences.
According to the first schedule of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC) 1973, the offence of sexual assault can be tried in any court of law that falls within the territory of India. Under Section 376, it is a non-bailable crime, and bail can only be granted by the judge if the accused has not committed a crime. If the accused is found guilty of the crime, then bail is not a matter of right for him; he will be convicted by the court.
Some well-known rape cases in India
It does not come as a surprise when India is referred to as the Rape Capital of the World. Statistics have time and again proven this fact. According to the statistics, every sixteen minutes, a girl is raped in India. In 2019, the reports said that 88% of cases of sexual assalut were reported every day, and out of those, 11% were women belonging to the Dalit community. Most of the sexual assault cases were reported from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. 6,000 cases were reported from Rajasthan and 3,065 from Uttar Pradesh last year. The most horrific case to date in India is still the Nirbhya rape case that took place in Delhi in 2012.
