FOUR INDIAN ARMY PERSONNEL BOOKED FOR RAPING DEAF & MUTE WOMAN FOR 4 YEARS

Four Indian Army jawans have been booked by the Pune police for allegedly raping a 30-year-old mute and deaf woman on multiple occasions over a span of four years. The woman was an employee at the Military Hospital in Khadki as a grade IV employee.

According to Rajendra Mohite, Senior Inspector of Khadki police station, a case has been registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 376 for rape and 354 for molestation. An inquiry has also been initiated against the four accused jawans.

The woman, who is suffering from hearing and speech impairment, approached an NGO based in Indore, which recorded her statement with the help of a sign-language interpreter. In the FIR, the woman claimed that one of the jawans raped her in the bathroom of a family ward during her night shift.

When she reached out to her supervisor nursing assistant via a text message. Instead of helping her out, he joined hands with the accused and threatened her that they would make the text message go viral. They were then joined by two other jawans and the survivor was reportedly raped repeatedly for more than four years.

The woman has also alleged that the jawans recorded a video of the act and used it to threaten her. Her complaints to the hospital administration were reportedly not paid heed to. Even when she request day-shifts, her requests were not looked into. The woman is reportedly a widow and also has a 12-year-old son. An investigation is underway and disciplinary action against the accused will be taken soon.

*Originally published in The Times of India*