Sarita suicide case: Chargesheet against accused

CHANDIGARH: Dealing another hard blow to the Haryana police, the CBI on Tuesday said that Sarita, who committed suicide at the police headquarters in June alleging inaction by officers after she was abused by two cops, had indeed been gangraped by the men in khaki. The investigating agency filed the chargesheet against the accused, Balraj and Silak Ram, who have been sacked and are in judicial custody in the Ambala-based CBI court. 

The CBI, which initiated proceedings following the Punjab and Haryana High Court directive, has confirmed rape on circumstantial evidence. The call details of Sarita’s mobile phone established that she was not far from the CIA police station in Rohtak on the day of the incident, April 10. Besides, all senior police officials of Rohtak and the then ADGP, law and order, VB Singh had admitted before the investigating officers that the victim had accused the two cops of rape. SP Haneef Quershi, now shifted, had said that Sarita came to meet him on April 26 and on one or two occasions more. “Her statements were inconsistent,” he said, adding that he had marked an inquiry to the then DSP, headquarters, Manbir Singh. The latter told the investigating agency that the victim had levelled rape charges against the accused in the presence of some Rohtak cops. 

However, some aspects of the case, like fake entries in police records, are still under probe. Besides, an FIR on the negligence of police officials in taking action against the accused is also under scrutiny. Sarita committed suicide before seeing the accused being brought to the book. She had accused the two constables of raping her when she had gone to secure the release of her husband, Subhash, who had been detained in a bicycle theft case. For over two months, she had made futile attempts to get her complaint registered, but in vain and had taken her own life at the ADGP office in Panchkula in desperation.