BHOPAL: On January 25, over 220 police functionaries raided Bhutiya and Holibayada villages of Dhar district in which sexual violence with nine women including two minors and rape of four women were alleged by the villagers.
MP Mahila Manch sent an eight-member team to Bhutiya and Holibayada and found that the investigation was going on at a very slow pace and even after two months no arrests had been made in the sexual violence and mass looting case. The report of the MP Mahila Manch has also stated the first hand account of women who were sexually assaulted and raped by 220 policemen of 13 different police stations and district headquarters, which has also been verified by the police, as mentioned in the report.
Shivani Taneja, member of the team, said, “When we went there, we met three police officers at Tanda police station, where the case has been filed and it was very clear that they were biased against the tribals, Bhils in particular. They said the villagers were ruffians and it was not safe for cops to go there. It was very evident that SP Dhar Virendra Singh believed that allegations of rape and loot had been made up by the villagers and the police would come out clean,” she said.
The team met the victims in both the villages and also the doctor who conducted the medical examination of the victims. The report specified that the vaginal swabs had been submitted to the local police chowki. “When we met the women who faced the wrath of police on January 25, they seemed to be still in terror. They told us pointing to areas where they were raped and few of them were able to recognise the policemen who raped them but yet they have not been called for identification till now. They told us that this was not the first time that the police came and looted but earlier too they came and took whatever they found outside, though this time it was treacherous,” said Shivani.
According to the report, FIR has been lodged for rape only and not for the loot. In the report it has been mentioned that signs of loot and destruction are still visible in the village. The police claimed cops in such big number went to the villages to arrest 143 people against whom warrants were issued but the sarpanch of a village shared with the team that there were about 20 against whom warrants were issued; rest of the numbers were generated to make the issue big. “The Special Investigative Team is headed by SP Anjana Tiwari. We tried contacting her several times but she did not respond and till now no arrests have been made. When we went to the Commission for Schedule Caste, they said the investigation was underway and the same response was given by the Women’s Commission but even after two months there is no sign of investigation progress and it is very evident that investigation is not being conducted seriously in the matter,” said Shivani.
About MP Mahila Manch
MP Mahila Manch is an autonomous women network which works on women’s issues and also organises events on bringing about awareness on women rights. The fact finding team on Dhar loot and rape incident included Ram Kunwar, Kirma, Preeti, Gopika Bakshi, Shivani Taneja, Anu Arvind, Madhu Dhurve and Shivani Bajpai.
