No rapes in Murthal during Jat agitation: Haryana govt report

Chandigarh: Submitting a report on the alleged Murthal gang-rapes, the Haryana government on Thursday told the Home Ministry that no such rapes were reported from Haryana's Sonipat district during the recent Jat agitation.

The report, however, mentioned that some women were "harassed".

Government sources said the report clearly stated that allegations of sexual harassment of women during last month's Jat agitation was incorrect.

The Haryana government in its report has denied the allegations and said no eye witness or victim has come forward to lodge complaints.

Sources said a cloth shop is located near the place of purported incident and it was looted. Since some news reports said that women inner wear were found in a field of Murthal, it was suggested that the sexual assault indeed had taken place.

The Haryana government report said that some women were "harassed" during the Jat agitation but there was no conclusive evidence to suggest sexual assault, sources said.

In February, the government had submitted a preliminary status report before the Punjab and Haryana High Court following investigations into the matter by an three-member all-women special investigation team (SIT) constituted by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's government.

 

The SIT report had said that no woman had come forward to lodge a complaint of gang-rapes in Murthal on February 22.

The high court had taken suo motu notice of a media report about the gang-rapes.

 

As many as 30 people were killed and over 200 injured in the nine-day violent agitation by members of the Jat community to press their demand for reservation in jobs and educational institutions.