MEERUT: A 21-year-old Dalit woman, who was reportedly raped by an upper caste individual in August 2023, faced immense pressure to “settle” the matter through a local panchayat and was forced to accept a payment of Rs 2.5 lakh for her silence. However, her ordeal didn’t end there. After her family relocated to escape ongoing harassment and social stigma, and arranged her marriage in a distant location, the accused learned of this and sent a video of the assault to her fiancé, resulting in the cancellation of the wedding.
The situation worsened when the accused’s family demanded the return of the money. As the survivor’s father could no longer bear the threats and pressure, he approached Hapur SP Kunwar Gyananjay Singh. A First Information Report (FIR) was filed on Thursday, almost two years after the initial crime.
The woman’s father recounted, “After my daughter was assaulted, a panchayat was convened where we were compelled to settle for Rs 2.5 lakh. We moved to another village and I arranged my child’s marriage, but the accused sent an explicit video to her fiancé, leading to the cancellation of the wedding. What can we do now?”
The survivor’s mother shared that she, too, faced assault and humiliation from the accused’s family. “They demanded the money back and began to misbehave with us. When I resisted, they attacked me, tearing my clothes,” her husband told the police.
Hafizpur SHO Ashish Kumar stated, “The original incident was not reported to us. However, we have since received a written complaint, and an FIR under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force), and 506 (criminal intimidation) has been filed against five individuals.” He added that teams have been established to investigate the case, and arrests will follow.
