Karnataka: 2 arrested after woman subjected to moral policing alleges gang-rape

Bengaluru: Two persons were arrested on Thursday after a woman in Karnataka's Hangal town in Haveri district subjected to moral policing released a video in which she claimed that she was "repeatedly gang-raped" by the vigilantes, an official said.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Altaf and Mardaan Saab, residents of Akki Aluru.

The police have launched a hunt to trace and apprehend the other accused persons.

The woman, a homemaker, was allegedly dragged out of a hotel after being seen with a person from another community, and was beaten up.

The incident took place in Hangal town on January 8.

The victim, who belongs to the minority community, said that when she was at the hotel, a group of five to six men barged inside, questioned her and took her on their motorcycles forcibly.

She claimed that they took her to an isolated place and assaulted her brutally and later, all of them raped her.

Later, they asked her to sit in a car and the driver also raped her.

Her ordeal did not end here.

She was also taken to other places and gang-raped.

The accused later took her to a National Highway and she got on a bus.

"I want them to be punished," she said in the video in an appeal to the police.

The husband of the victim told the media that his wife was gang-raped by the gang of vigilantes.

"They had kidnapped and inhumanly attacked my wife. She had opened up about this brutality with one of the family members," he stated.

Haveri Superintendent of Police Anshu Kumar Srivastava said that a case would be filed and investigated.

Earlier, the woman had gone to the police station in Hangal.

"The gang-rape matter was not reported at that time. Now that she has come out and narrated the incident, her statement will be recorded, and stringent action will be initiated in the case," Srivastava said.

Meanwhile, former CM Basavaraj Bommai has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to clear his stand on the matter and the emerging developments.

Speaking to reporters, Bommai said that CM Siddaramaiah who always spoke about moral policing, has remained tight-lipped.

"There is an allegation that a woman belonging to minority community was gang-raped. The police should conduct a medical test and look into the matter from all dimensions. The guilty should be punished," he said.

Bommai further said the assault had happened when "two persons belonging to different religions were together in a room".

"Since the charges of gang-rape have surfaced, I have spoken to the SP of Haveri. I have stressed on the need to conduct the medical test of the victim immediately,” Bommai stated.

The BJP leader also said: "CM Siddaramaiah claimed that he won't spare if the involvement in moral policing is found. Now, a woman from a minority community has become a victim and the state government has failed to protect her."