The opposition BJP members Monday walked out of the House amid a ruling Congress MLA's assertion that the dalit woman, whose brother-in-law died in the custody of Churu district's Sardarshahar police station, was not gang-raped by policemen.
"The allegation of rape is absolutely wrong. There cannot be a rape in such a manner," asserted Sardarshahar's Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma.
Sharma made the assertion when Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore was narrating to the House the sequence of alleged events in the custodial death of the 22-year-old dalit man and the gang rape of his sister-in-law by policemen, which has rocked the state.
Rathore was recounting the sequence of alleged events to buttress his demand for a CBI probe into the twin crime.
Interfering with Rathore's narration, Sharma termed the woman allegations as "absolutely false" and said there was no plucking of the women's nails either by the policemen.
Sharma made the assertion saying he was neither doing advocacy for anyone nor siding with the police.
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He, however, added that he agrees with other allegations involving the crime.
Around half a dozen policemen, including a suspended inspector, were booked Sunday for allegedly beating, torturing and gang-raping the dalit woman whose brother-in-law had died in police custody in Rajasthan's Churu district on July 6.
The dalit woman, who is admitted at SMS Hospital in Jaipur, had alleged she and her brother-in-law Namchand (name changed) were illegally detained by the then SHO and other policemen of Sardarshahar Police Station in Churu.
"Based on the woman's statement, recorded Saturday, an FIR against the then SHO and five to seven other policemen was registered today. The case will be investigated by CID-CB," said Sardarshahar Police Station's new SHO Mahendra Dutt Sharma on Sunday. Sharma took charge after Namchand's death came to light.
The case has been registered under sections 376-D (gang rape), 343 (wrongful confinement for three or more days), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant sections of the SC and ST (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act.
Namchand was arrested in a theft case on July 6 morning and was admitted to a hospital where he died in the night, officials have maintained. This account has been contested by the deceased's kin.
Namchand was picked up by the police on June 30 and kept in illegal detention, his brother has alleged.
Namchand's brother further alleged that the policemen came to his house later on July 3 along with his brother and took him back along with his wife on the same day.
He also said his wife was the witness to the murder of his younger brother in police custody.
Responding to the debate on the alleged custodial death-cum-gang rape by policemen, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal told the House that eight policemen including the then SHO were suspended and 19 other policemen were shunted to the police lines.
A judicial probe has also been ordered in the custodial death, the minister said.
The minister said victim Namchand's brother and his other family members had met the DGP on July 13 alleging that his wife was raped by five or six policemen.
"FIR in this matter was registered on July 14 on the basis of the victim woman's statements and the matter is under investigation, the minister stated.
Dhariwal also said after the custodial death, Sardarshahar MLA Sharma had met the family members of the deceased.
The family members had raised certain demands which were accepted, the minister added.
Dissatisfied with the minister's reply and the Congress MLA assertion, Rathore and other BJP MLAs, however, staged a walkout of the House.