Gross irregularities surface in Pingla Ghar rape case

JALANDHAR: Nine months after a probe committee was first formed under the DC to look into the rape of a 37yearold woman inmate of Pingla Ghar here the police have arrested the suspect in the case on June 23

Updated At : 01:33 PM Jun 30, 2019 IST

Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, June 29

Nine months after a probe committee was first formed under the DC to look into the rape of a 37-year-old woman inmate of Pingla Ghar here, the police have arrested the suspect in the case on June 23. While the FIR lodged by the police in the case detailing the DC’s report lists out gross irregularities, the police probe stops short of an investigation and clears complicity of the Pingla Ghar staff in the case.

The FIR lodged by the police details that the woman was married off to a 48-year-old inmate, who was already married, without any investigation in the incident of rape or lodging an FIR in the case. Pingla Ghar caretaker Rakesh Kumar was arrested after a DNA test confirmed that he was the biological father of the victim’s baby. However, other gross irregularities in the home remain overlooked.

The copy of the FIR that was lodged in the case on September 15, 2018, which lists findings of the Deputy Commissioner’s probe report, clearly states when the probe committee began investigation, the woman was 24-week pregnant. She had already been married to 48-year Phool Kant, who has a 15-year-old son and Pingla Ghar employees refused to cooperate in the probe. The FIR states that the probe committee instituted by DC first visited Pingla Ghar on September 4, 2018. Despite asking, no proof of the wedding was furnished to the probe team. The doctor examining the woman stated that she seems to be a mentally retarded person. It also states she was married off to Phool Kant on August 8, 2018. It further mentions despite repeated insistence, the manager of Pingla Ghar refused to give a written statement to the probe team.

Phool Kant, in his statement, said he was asked to marry the woman by the office manager of Pingla Ghar, to which he agreed. Phool Kant said during the time of the wedding, he was not aware that she was pregnant. The woman told the probe team she knew that she was pregnant. She said Rakesh used to call her in a room on several occasions. The FIR states manager Gurpreet Singh did not furnish a signed list of employees of the home, despite requests.

The probe instituted by the DC had begun on September 4, 2018, by a team led by Shahkot SDM Navneet Kaur Bal, DPO Narinder Singh, CPO Avneet Kaur; Legal Probation Officer Sandeep Kumar; Kulwinder Kaur, SMO, Civil Hospital; and Pravin Kumar, the then Police Commissioner.

DCP (Investigation), Jalandhar, Gurmeet Singh, said: “We shall be filing a charge sheet in the case soon. Rakesh has been arrested under Sections 376, 417, 418, 187 and 120-B of the IPC. So far, only he has been named in the case. The investigation into other aspects of the case is on.”

Fact file

Woman was 24-week pregnant when committee began probe
By the time probe began, she had already been married to 48-year-old Phool Kant, who has a 15-year-old son
FIR states Pingla Ghar staff refused to cooperate in investigation
No proof of wedding was provided to probe team
Victim married off on August 8, 2018
Phool Kant said he was not aware that she was pregnant
FIR states manager Gurpreet Singh also did not furnish a signed list of employees of home, despite requests.