Woman gang-raped in MP, bulldozers run over accused's house

Bhopal, March 22

In another case of sexual assault, a 28-year-old woman was gang-raped in Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh.

The victim later died while undergoing treatment in a hospital.

On Tuesday, the house of the main accused was demolished on the direction of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

As per police, the woman was gang-raped by three persons on Saturday. The victim died in a hospital during the treatment. District police claimed to have arrested all three accused involved in the case. They were identified as -- Shadab Usmani and his two friends Rajesh Singh and Sonu George.

Police said Shadab Usmani was in a relationship with the woman for the past one-and-a-half years. On Saturday, he took her for a picnic in Kshirsagar area, around 20 km from the district headquarters Shahdol.

"After reaching Kshirsagar, Usmani called his two friends over to the spot and consumed alcohol. They then took turns to rape the woman. The victim was force-fed a poisonous substance, which led to her death in the hospital," a senior police officer told IANS.

According to the police, while the main accused - Usmani fled the spot, the other two accused left her out side the district hospital. Upon reaching the hospital, they (Rajesh and George) tried to pass it off as a case of excessive consumption of alcohol.

Meanwhile, one of the accused informed the victim's family on phone that she had consumed alcohol was admitted in the hospital in a critical condition, police said.

"Post-mortem report has confirmed that the woman was gang-raped and she died because of consumption of some poisonous substance. All three accused have been arrested and further process was underway," police said.

On Tuesday, the district administration, along with the local police, reached Usmani's house with a couple of bulldozers and demolished his house located in Javara locality in Shahdol district.

Speaking to IANS, Shahdol district collector Vandana Vadya said: "House of main accused Shadab Usmani was demolished today. While, two other accused involved the case were living a rented accommodation."

On Monday, bulldozers were used to demolished houses in Sheopur district after a minor girl was gang-raped by three persons.

Crime against women in Madhya Pradesh has been a serious concern and the opposition Congress has been targetting the Shivraj government on this issue. Recently, chief minister Chouhan had held a meeting with top police official in the state to discuss the law and order situation.

Recently, former Director General of Police (DGP) Vivek Johari who retired on March 4, during his fairwell speech he has also mentioned that growing crime against women in the state is a bigger concern for Madhya Pradesh police.