6 accused convicted of Issewal gangrape
Rajneesh Lakhanpal
Ludhiana, Feburary 28
The court of Additional Sessions Judge Rashmi Sharma has convicted all six accused in the 2019 gangrape case of a 21-yr-old girl near Issewal village.
Those convicted are Sadiq Ali of Mukandpur, Nawanshahar; Jagroop Singh, alias Rupi, of Jaspal Bangar village; Surmu of Khanpur village, Dehlon; Saif Ali of Dehlon; and Ajay, alias Lalan, of Jassad Paddi village, and Liyakat Ali of Ludhiana.
The accused were produced in the court this afternoon, following which the court held them guilty. Jagroop Singh, who was out on bail, was taken into custody. The court postponed the matter till March 4 for the quantum of sentence.
Special public prosecutor BD Gupta and victim’s counsel Hardyal Inder Singh Grewal said the prosecution examined 44 of the total 54 witnesses.
The police had filed a 700-page chargesheet based upon the scientific investigation supported by 54 testimony of witnesses against the accused on April 4, 2019. The chargesheet was submitted in less than 60 days of the incident in the court of Judicial Magistrate Ankit Airi.
The police had claimed to have recovered incriminating material from the accused, including a stolen amplifier of the car belonging to a victim’s friend.
The victim was gangraped on Feburary 8, 2019, near Issewal village along the Sidhwan canal, 15 km from Ludhiana, after the car she was travelling in with her friend was stopped and she was dragged out.
An identification parade of the accused was conducted at the local central jail on February 22, 2019, in which the victim identified all the accused. The charges were framed on May 6, 2019.
The incident had triggered outrage and rocked the Punjab Assembly with the Opposition Aam Aadmi Party and Lok Insaaf Party slamming the government. The Chief Minister had to make a statement in the Assembly. Thereafter, vigil around the south city area along the Sidhwan canal was heightened.
2019 incident
- Feb 8, 2019: Victim dragged out of car, gangraped near Issewal
- April 4: Police file 700-page chargesheet
- May 6: Charges framed against six accused
- Feb 28, 2022: Court holds all six guilty
