Rape victim found to be 'living' at Gujarat police station for over a month

In a shocking case, a rape victim was found to be "living" at the police station in Ahmedabad for over a month after she filed an FIR there.

A city sessions court, while strongly questioning the "conduct" of the policemen for keeping the victim at the police station instead of a shelter home, has ordered the police commissioner to look into it. What is more surprising is the fact that the victim and the accused, who were on police remand, stayed together for a week at the same police station.

Ahmedabad police commissioner Sanjay Srivastava told DH he has come to know about this case and has ordered an inquiry.

The matter came to light during the hearing of a bail application moved by the accused, Masuk A Kureshi alias Sonu (27), a resident of Sarkhej, originally from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh.

It has been found that Sonu befriended the victim in Hyderabad some two years ago and on the pretext of marriage brought her back to Ahmedabad. Records reveal that she was living in Ahmedabad before her family took her to Hyderabad where her other relatives live. The victim is originally from Assam.

According to court records, Sonu allegedly had a physical relationship with her but never married. He allegedly forced the 20-year-old victim into prostitution.

A month before the registration of FIR, the victim was allegedly sold to one Shahzadi Gulam Rahul Kureshi alias Suman, a resident of Khokhra in the city. On July 23, the victim made a distress call to the police from a hotel and was rescued by Vatva GIDC police. It has been found that local police inspector G D Gohil didn't send the victim to any shelter home and instead kept her at the police station.

Accused Sonu, his friend Mohammed Firoz Ansari (38) were arrested on July 29 and a day later Shahzadi (24) was also held. The records reveal that the victim has been staying at the police station since July 23. It has come to light that she stayed at the station with all the accused who were in police remand for a week.

The court came to know about this when it summoned the victim to hear her side while deciding the bail plea. During the hearing, when the judge asked her present address she told that she was staying at the police station.

"Upon this revelation, this court was in utter shock and asked her as to how and under what circumstances the victim/prosecutrix was kept in the police station without any order from any competent court having jurisdiction in this regard. While responding to this the victim/prosecutrix feigned her ignorance qua this. Hence, police inspector namely D R Gohil present in the court was also asked about the facts narrated by victim/prosecutrix and the concerned police inspector has also verified this fact that victim/prosecutrix is residing in police station since last 1 month as she was having no place to stay in Ahmedabad. Upon being asked as to why the victim/prosecutrix has not been shifted to any institution which generally takes care of children and women in such cases, the concerned police inspector could not answer anything," the order notes.

The sessions judge Preet Kamal Tirath Ram then rejected the bail plea. The court also directed a copy of the order to be sent to the chairperson of Gujarat State Women Commission for appropriate action.