The Vadodara police, on Wednesday, filed a 1,500-page chargesheet almost two months after the infamous Navlakhi rape case. On November 28, 2019, a 14-year-old girl was gang-raped by two men. Both the accused — Kishan Mathasuriya (28) and Jasho Solanki (21) — were arrested on December 8, 2019 by an Ahmedabad crime branch team. According to the FIR filed at Raopura Police station in Vadodara, the incident had occurred between 8:15 pm and 11 pm on November 28. The victim and her friend had gone to Navlakhi ground for a stroll, after visiting Khangah-e-Aliya Rafaiya Dargah in the city. It was here that the two were accosted by the two men who first assaulted the friend and then “towed’ the victim for over 800 meters on the rough, dusty ground, to the secluded side. They proceeded to beat her and took turns to rape her. While the investigation was initially undertaken by the Raopura police, it was later handed over to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Crime Branch Vadodara. Following the incident, the police had booked the then unidentified accused under IPC section 325 (Grievous hurt), 363 (Kidnapping), 376 (2)(I)(N) (Rape), 376(D) (Gang rape), 377 (Unnatural offences) and under relevant sections of the Gujarat Police Act and the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The accused were identified on the basis of sketches drawn by the survivor. Investigating Officer in the case, ACP Dharmendra Chauhan said, “We have submitted strong evidences against the accused including documentary, oral, medical and scientific evidences. Under the sections of the POCSO Act, we have also added section (6)(1) which makes the offence punishable with death penalty. Since the accused had taken away the vehicle’s keys from the duo, section 394 (Robbery) is also applicable in the case which was added to the chargesheet.” The chargesheet has been filed in a special POCSO court. Charges have been framed under IPC 376 (2)(M)(N) (While committing rape causes grievous bodily harm or maims or disfigures or endangers the life of a woman; or commits rape repeatedly on the same woman), 376(3) (Rape on a woman under the age of 16, the punishment is a minimum of 20 years imprisonment extendable to life), 376 DA (Punishment for Gang-Rape of Woman under 16 years of age), 377 (Unnatural offences), 363 (Punishment for kidnapping), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 114 (Abettor present), 394 (Voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) and under relevant sections of the POCSO Act.
