• Source:PTI
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A 17-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped by three college students in front of her boyfriend in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district on Sunday. The three accused first thrashed the victim’s boyfriend before taking turns to rape the girl. Police have arrested all the accused and an investigation has been initiated. 

A senior police official said the accused were canvassing for a student leader seeking a ticket from the BJP’s student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for student union elections in the college, but the ABVP denied any links with the accused students. 

Deputy Commissioner of Police Amrita Duhan stated that the girl eloped with her boyfriend from Ajmer on Saturday. They took a bus and reached Jodhpur around 10:30 pm on Saturday. Following which they went to a guest house to get a room, but left after the caretaker of the guest house allegedly misbehaved with the girl.

“The minors could not find a place to stay... They were walking on the road when three men approached them near Pawata Circle and offered to help them,” DCP Amrita Duhan said.

The three accused, identified as Samandar Singh (21), Bhattam Singh (22) and Dharmpal Singh (21) offered the teens food and suggested that they should continue their journey ahead via train. The accused then made both the minors follow them to the railway line near the Pawata circle and the five kept walking through the night. 

Police said around 4 am, the group entered a university campus through a broken wall, where the two accused grabbed the minor boy and assaulted him, after which they harassed the girl and gang-raped her. Around 5 am, the three accused fled after spotting a couple of people out on a morning walk.

The minor boy took the help of the passersby who took them to JNVU Old Campus police station and then reported the incident. Police have arrested the three accused and an investigation is underway.

According to a senior official, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot spoke to Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra about the incident and instructed police officials to ensure strict punishment for the accused. He said CM Gehlot appreciated the Jodhpur Police for the promptness with which they apprehended the accused and ensured justice for the victim by securing the harshest punishment for the culprits.