Haryana transfers Rewari SP; victim's family rejects compensation
Rewari gang rape case
Chandigarh, Sep 16 : Embarrassed over the failure to arrest those involved in the alleged gang-rape of a board topper, the Haryana government on Sunday ordered the transfer of Rewari's Superintendent of Police (SP) and replaced him with another officer.
Rahul Sharma has been posted as the new SP of Rewari in place of Rajesh Duggal.
The police arrested Deendayal, the owner of the tubewell room where the gang-rape took place in Mahendragarh district. Police said he gave the keys of the room to the accused youth where they committed the crime on September 12.
The police have also detained a medical practitioner who was called by the accused when the condition of the 19-year-old rape victim deteriorated after she had been sexually assaulted.
Police officials said the medical practitioner gave the victim first aid treatment. He did not inform the police though he knew that the victim was sexually assaulted claiming that he was threatened by the accused.
The Haryana Police has faced flak for treating the gang-rape incident casually initially by citing jurisdiction issues, losing crucial time and evidence to nab the accused.
In a related development, the family of the gang-rape victim on Sunday rejected the compensation cheque of Rs 2 lakh sent by the Haryana government.
"Is this the value that the Haryana government has calculated for the gruesome crime committed on my daughter? We reject the compensation offered. We want justice for our daughter," the mother of the victim said in Rewari, nearly 350 km from here.
The Haryana Police on Sunday continued the hunt for the rapists. Police sources said on Sunday that raids were being conducted at various locations to arrest the three accused involved in the crime.
The police were questioning relatives, friends and fellow villagers of the accused to know their whereabouts. Nearly 100 people have been questioned.
Special Investigating Team (SIT) chief Nazneen Bhasin told the media in Rewari that the rape of the young woman had been confirmed in the medical examination.
She said that anyone giving information about the accused would get a reward of Rs 1 lakh. The accused include a soldier, Pankaj, and two youths, Manish and Nishu. All belong to Kanina village.
Despite Haryana Director General of Police B.S. Sandhu claiming that the accused would be arrested, the police have failed to do so.
The victim, who has identified her attackers, and her parents had said earlier that the police were not taking action in the matter and were dealing with it casually.
The family alleged that more men could be involved in the gang-rape.
The accused, who belong to the same village as the victim and knew her, allegedly kidnapped the victim from Kanina bus stand while she was on her way for coaching classes.
She said they gave her water to drink which was laced with a sedative. They then took turns raping her in a room adjoining agricultural fields till she fell unconscious.They later dumped her at a bus stop near the village.
One accused, Manish, even called up the victim's father and told him to pick her from the bus stand. The victim, a second year student in a college, topped the board examination and was felicitated by the government.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
