Rapes may have taken place in Murthal during Jat protests: Haryana govt tells High Court

Chandigarh: The Haryana government on Monday told the Punjab and Haryana high court a section of gang-rape has been added in the FIR registered in the case, as per a media report.

As per a report in Hindustan Times, the sections had been added on the complaint of a Delhi resident who alleged that women were sexually assaulted in Murthal during Jats agitation for reservation.

The government has also reportedly received an anonymous letter alleging gang-rapes, which was provided to the Faridabad commissioner of police by a local news channel.

The Daily reported that the letter has been purportedly written by an NRI woman.

Based on her letter, section 376(D) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was added to the FIR.

The complaint had filed by Bobby Joshi on March 30.

It had been reported in the media that gang-rapes had taken place on February 22.

It had also been alleged that at least 10 women were sexually assaulted by a group of nearly 40 agitators during the agitation on quotas.

At the same time it had been claimed that women had hidden in fields to save themselves and later they were found by their families.

Images of innerwear scattered in the fields were circulated on social media.

Last month, submitting a report, the Haryana government had told the Home Ministry that no such rapes were reported from Sonipat district.

The report had, however, mentioned that some women were 'harassed'.

It had been reported then that as per government sources the report had clearly stated that allegations of sexual harassment of women during Jat agitation was incorrect.

The Haryana government had also said that no eye witness or victim had come forward to lodge complaints.

In February, the government had submitted a preliminary status report before the Punjab and Haryana High Court following investigations into the matter by an three-member all-women special investigation team (SIT) constituted by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's government.

The HC had taken suo motu notice of a media report about the gang-rapes.

(With Agency inputs)