The Narsinghpur police on Friday arrested an assistant sub-inspector of police (ASI) for not reportedly registering a case of rape against three men on the complaint of a 32-year-old Dalit woman on Monday, hours after she was found dead at her house.
“Her family members said the ASI refused to register the report,” Assistant Superintendent of Police Rajesh Tiwari told The Hindu. The police had suspended Mishrilal Kodapa and registered a case under section 166A(c) of the Indian Penal Code, he added.
On Friday morning the police found the woman dead at her house, said Gadarwara Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) S.R. Yadav. “She had gone to fetch water from a common tap where one Leela Bai taunted her, after which she returned home and reportedly died by suicide,” he said.
Meanwhile, the father-in-law of the woman told reporters she had died as the police didn’t act in time. “If the police had acted when she had approached them, she would have been here with us,” he said.
On Friday, the police arrested Arvind Choudhary, one of the accused, and his father Motilal, who allegedly insulted her. On Monday, the woman had gone to fetch fodder for cattle along with her nieces when the alleged incident took place.
The other two accused of rape, Parshu Choudhary and Anil Rai, were absconding and the police had declared a reward of ₹5,000 for information on them, said Mr. Yadav. “We are yet to receive the post-mortem report.”
