Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Danish woman allegedly gang-raped in Delhi

File photo of a violence against women protest (Pic: WorldBulletin.net)
NEW DELHI (AA) - A 51-year-old Danish woman was allegedly gang-raped by a group of men in Delhi, India on Tuesday night when she lost her way back to her hotel after visiting a museum, according to police.
The victim told Delhi police late on Tuesday night that she had got lost after visiting Delhi’s National Museum. She claimed the men, who she approached for directions to the nearby Delhi railway station, had taken her to an isolated spot and gang-raped her. She also claimed she was robbed after the sexual assault.
The Delhi police have reportedly used the information provided by the victim to detain six suspects.
“She lost her way when this incident happened. Currently, the concerned police team has identified suspects and is interrogating them. The investigation is on,” Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP.
A case of gang-rape and robbery has been registered under the relevant sections of Indian Penal Code.
Police said the victim, who has not been named to preserve her anonymity, left for Copenhagen on Wednesday morning after refusing to undergo a medical test.
The Delhi government and Danish embassy are not commenting on the incident due to the ongoing investigation.
The Supreme Court of India said on Wednesday it needs a formal system to address cases of sexual harassment against both sitting and former judges, reversing a decision made in December to not hear cases against former judges.
It issued a notice to Justice Swatanter Kumar, a former Supreme Court judge, and the federal government after a law intern alleged on Sunday that he had sexually harassed her in May 2011 - when he was still a judge in India's top court.
Justice Kumar has denied the allegations of sexual harassment, calling them a “deep-rooted conspiracy”. Kumar filed a defamation suit with the Delhi High Court on Wednesday seeking Rs. 25 million in damages from media organizations for publishing “baseless” and “incredulous” reports against him.
The court agreed to hear the law intern's seven-page petition seeking the formation of a gender committee to look into sexual harassment complaints against sitting and retired judges.
In her petition to P Sathasivam, Chief Justice of India, in November the law intern accused Justice Kumar of “unwelcome physical contact and sexual advances” claiming he touched her with “sexual intent”.
This is the second high-profile sexual harassment case allegedly involving a former Supreme Court judge. In December, a Supreme Court-appointed panel indicted AK Ganguly for “unwelcome verbal/non-verbal conduct of sexual nature” towards a law intern.

Amid mounting pressure by rights activists and citizens, Ganguly, had to resign from the post of Chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission.

No comments:

Post a Comment