Rapes did take place in Murthal during Jat quota agitation: Punjab and Haryana HC

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court observed on Thursday that rape incidents did take place in Murthal during the Jat reservation protests in February 2016.

While asking Haryana's Special Investigation Team to nab the culprits, the HC said recovery of women's undergarments and statements of victims indicate that rapes were committed at Murthal.

The court relied on on statement of witnesses, one of them a taxi driver, who had said that women were dragged out of their vehicles by rioters during the violent protest.

The court's order came after amicus curiae in the case, Anupam Gupta alleged that the SIT was making deliberate attempts to drop rape charges in the case.

After being in a denial mode earlier to later admitting a "possibility", the Haryana government in August last year had told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that some rape incidents could have taken place near Murthal town in Sonipat district during the Jat agitation in February.

The court, taking suo moto notice of the reports in the media about the gang-rapes, had asked the state government and the police to submit a status report.

The court had appointed advocate Anupam Gupta as amicus curiae in the matter.

At least 30 people were killed and over 320 injured in the nine-day long Jat agitation for reservation.