WOMEN – 2011 - Indian Social Institute

A Class 11 girl student was allegedly abducted and gangraped by three youth in R.K. Puram area of
south Delhi, the police said on Monday. The accused have been identified as Mohit Pal, the victim’s
neighbour and friend, Sharad Kumar and Amit, the police said. The victim, who studies in a private school
at Chanakyapuri here, was taken by Mohit to a restaurant in south Delhi for lunch last Wednesday. “After
lunch, Mohit asked her to come over to Sharad’s house in Mohammadpur where the three took turns to
rape her,” a senior police official said. The official said the accused threatened the girl not to tell anyone
about the incident and dropped her at her Sector 6, R.K. Puram residence in evening. “When the girl
reached home, she was so frightened that she didn’t tell her parents about her ordeal. However, the next
day she mustered courage and narrated the incident to her parents who approached the police and a
complaint was lodged,” the official said. The girl was taken to AIIMS where a medical examination
confirmed rape. “A manhunt was launched and the accused were arrested last Thursday. They are all
residents of R.K. Puram and have been charged for gangrape and illegal confinement of the victim,” the
official said. Mohit told the police that he loves expensive motorcycles and the victim was “fascinated” by
his life style. “The two became friends and used to go out frequently. The father of the accused is also a
government employee. All the accused are between 20 and 25 years of age and live in government
quarters in Sector 6, R.K. Puram. (AA, 08/02/2011)
Constitute panels to probe sexual harassment charges: court tells State
The Madras High Court Bench here on Wednesday directed the State government to ensure that a
‘Complaints Committee' to probe into allegations of sexual harassment of women was constituted in all
workplaces and other institutions in compliance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court in
Vishaka Vs. State of Rajasthan in 1997. A Division Bench of Justices N. Paul Vasanthakumar and R.
Subbiah gave the direction while disposing of a writ appeal related to M.S.S. Wakf Board College in which
no such committee had been constituted even after a lapse of 13 years since the apex court judgement.
The judges directed the High Court Registry to forward a copy of the judgement to the Chief Secretary to
the State government for taking immediate action. (The Supreme Court in Vishaka's case had held that
the Complaints Committee should be headed by a woman and not less than half of its members should
be women. Further, to prevent the possibility of any undue pressure or influence from senior levels such
Committee should involve a third party, either a NGO or any other body familiar with the issue of sexual
harassment.) Allowing a writ appeal filed by a woman lecturer of the college, the Division Bench also
reversed a judgement passed by a single judge on April 21. The single judge had quashed an order
passed by the college management on December 2, 2005 terminating the services of its Principal I. Ismail
on charges of harassing the appellant sexually. Upholding the termination order, the Division Bench said
that the former Principal could not be absolved from the charges of sexual harassment merely because
the college had not constituted a Complaints Committee as directed by the Supreme Court in 1997. It
pointed out that the guilt of the Principal had been proved beyond doubt in an internal enquiry conducted
by a retired District Judge. Writing the judgement, Mr. Justice Vasanthakumar pointed out that the
Principal, a member of the Madurai University Teachers Association, was also found guilty of intimidating
teachers and non-teaching staff to go on strike on October 23, 2002. The charges of insubordination,
causing financial loss to the institution and deliberately violating the provisions of the Income Tax Act had
also been proved. (Hindu, 10/02/2011)
8-yr-old raped by speech impaired
An eight-year-old Class-III student of an MCD School was raped by her 20-year-old hearing and speech
impaired neighbour in Chawala area of South-West Delhi on Thursday. Police have arrested the accused
after he was caught red handed by a BSES employee. The incident occurred at 3.15 pm when the victim,
who lives in a slum cluster in Chawla with her family, had gone to play with her friend. Police officials said
that the victim was playing with her friend Neha (name changed) when the accused, identified as Mannu,
forcibly took her at nearby vacant house and raped her. “Neha who was playing with the victim, who
managed to run away from the spot and narrated the entire matter to a BSES employee who happened to
be crossing from the area. The BSES employee reached the spot and found the victim screaming for
help. He overpowered Mannu and informed the police about the matter. A police team reached the spot
and rushed the victim to Rao Tula Ram Memorial hospital where her medical examination confirmed
rape,” said a senior police official. They have booked Mannu under appropriate sections of the IPC.
(Pioneer, 11/02/2011)