A 35-year-old woman, who had been missing since June 24, was reportedly gangraped in an empty coach of a stationary train at Panipat railway station and later thrown onto the tracks in Sonipat, Haryana, resulting in the loss of her leg.
The police had received a missing report about her on June 26 from her husband, who stated she had been missing since June 24 following a dispute. He noted that while she had gone missing before, she usually returned home on her own.
The survivor told the police that she was approached by a person at a nearby railway station, who claimed to be sent by her husband.
"She said he took her with him and boarded an empty bogie of a stationary train where he raped her. Later, two other men joined him and raped her," senior police official, Shri Niwas told news agency PTI.
Subsequently, she was taken to Sonipat, where the accused allegedly threw her on the tracks, resulting in her severe injury when a train passed over her.
Eyewitness accounts from shopkeepers near the Sonipat railway tracks revealed that they heard a woman crying and rushed to her aid. A crowd gathered around her, and witnesses observed that her leg had been severed after getting caught in the railway track switch. The incident was reported to the railway police by bystanders, leading to her being referred from Sonipat General Hospital to Rohtak PGI for further treatment.
The woman is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.
"We registered a Zero FIR for gangrape and forwarded it to the Panipat Government Railway Police (GRP) for further action," Niwas further said. A Zero FIR can be filed at any police station, regardless of the incident's jurisdiction, and can be transferred to the appropriate police station for action.
Senior Railway Police official, Rajesh, confirmed that a zero FIR was received on Sunday evening, and further investigation is underway.
Following the incident, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to investigate the allegations of gangrape and the subsequent incident in Sonipat.
Panipat's Superintendent of Police, Bhupender Singh, and his crime unit visited the railway track where the incident occurred. They conducted an inspection of the site, accompanied by the Sonipat GRP police. The investigation team reached the spot where the woman was found sitting on the tracks. However, Bhupender Singh avoided interaction with the media during this visit.
The police teams continue their investigation, though they have yet to find any concrete evidence in the case. They are also questioning local residents and shopkeepers and examining CCTV footage from the vicinity.
Source: India Today