Haryana CM honours woman who served 33 days in jail for falsely accusing 12 men of rape at Women's Day event

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini felicitated a Jind-based social worker, who was once jailed for filing false rape cases against 12 men, at a Women's Day function on March 9, according to a media report.

Rekha Rani Dhiman received the Indira Gandhi Mahila Shakti Award along with a cash prize of Rs 1.50 lakh. She was recognised for her work in rescuing and rehabilitating victims of prostitution through her NGO, Udaan Hoslon Ki. The Indira Gandhi award is the Haryana government’s second highest award for women, The Print reported.

However, police records reveal that in 2020, Dhiman falsely accused 12 men of rape and has a history of filing false police complaints, as per the report.

In her complaint, she alleged that the men had drugged and blackmailed her for two years. Following an investigation by ASP Safidon, Ajit, her claims were found to be false, and she was sentenced to 33 days in the Jind jail, the report said.

Dhiman, a former student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Jind, was expelled from the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Alumni Welfare Association this year. The action was taken because two of the 12 people Dhiman had falsely accused were also alumni of the school.

After receiving the award, Dhiman posted a photo of herself winning the award on Facebook. "Honored to receive Haryana’s Indira Gandhi Mahila Shakti Award with the blessings of Honorable Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini Ji, under the guidance of esteemed Cabinet Minister Smt. Shruti Choudhry Ji”.

In 2012, Dhiman had filed similar complaints in Rohtak, and in 2015, she accused 26 people. Both complaints were later proven to be false, the publication reported.

The Chief Minister’s media coordinator, Ashok Chhabra, has called for an investigation following public outrage over the issue. Chhabra assured that strict action would be taken against the officials responsible for the oversight.