A COURT in Barabanki on Saturday acquitted two youths accused in a 2018 gangrape case due to lack of evidence. The court also directed that a case be registered against the woman (aged 35) for retracting her earlier statement. The two accused were out on bail. According to the prosecution, the alleged incident occurred on February 20, 2018, when the woman was alone at home. Around 9 pm, the two accused, armed with sharp weapons, allegedly barged into the house. The woman's minor daughter was also present there. The accused allegedly threatened and assaulted the victim before committing the crime. When the victim's husband returned home a while later, the accused had fled. Subsequently, the woman and her husband went to the police station to file a complaint, but alleged that the police did not register a case. They later approached the court and obtained an order directing the authorities to register an FIR into the matter. On the basis of court directives, an FIR was registered against the two accused on several charges including gangrape, trespass, and criminal intimidation on February 20, 2019. The victim's statement was recorded before the magistrate. Subsequently, the police arrested the accused and filed a chargesheet in the case. Government Counsel for Barabanki, Varun Mishra, said that during cross-examination, she retracted her earlier statement, leading to her being declared hostile by the court.
