A controversy has erupted in Himachal Pradesh over the alleged rape of a student in a college in Dharamshala, with hundreds of students taking to the streets but Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and police insisted that no such incident had taken place.
On Saturday, a woman had told the College principal Rampal Chopra, a teacher and some students that her sister had been raped in the college campus, triggering widespread protests by locals, students and various political outfits in Dharamsala, even as the social media went viral with unverified information related to the incident.
"Both, the woman who complained and the so-called victim have been identified and they stated that neither rape nor molestation was attempted," Kapil Sharma, Superintendent of Police, Kangra, said at a press conference in Dharamshala.
"The complainant who visited the principal's office on Saturday is a married lady but does not have any younger sister as claimed earlier and the so-called victim student has a younger brother and sister," the SP said.
The "victim" denied that any such thing happened to her and even told that she had not seen the complainant for past four years.
Speaking to reporters in Shimla, Himachal DGP Sanjay Kumar said the two women and their parents have been taken into protective custody and the parents have also stated that there was no truth in the case.
He said parents of the complainant had told the police that she had a history of "unpredictable behaviour" and had run away from home on some occasions, with police of a neighbouring state having brought her home once.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh dismissed the claims of gang-rape, saying the incident was being created to "malign the image of some people".
"The lady's friend is in police custody and he is being questioned. According to the investigation till now, the girl was being used to malign the image of some people. It appears to be an organised attempt to malign somebody. The culprits should be ashamed," he said, adding that investigation is on.
The entire story about rape or molestation was cooked up and the issue was blown out of proportion on social media, the DGP said.
