Reports of 10 rapes on NH-1 during Jat agitation false, says police

The Punjab and Haryana high court has taken cognisance of news reports about alleged incidents of rape at Murthal during the Jat community’s protest for reservation.

The state police have denied that any such incident had taken place and termed the report as “false”.

A news report in an English daily on Wednesday had claimed that vehicles with women were reportedly stopped on the National Highway-1 near Murthal on Monday morning, and the woman dragged out and raped in fields nearby. It said at least 10 women were raped.

On Wednesday, Justice NK Sanghi of the high court wrote to the acting chief justice in this regard for further proceedings. The judge is learnt to have stated that it was painful that the senior officials of police allegedly chose to advise the families not to report the matter. He even sought an independent probe, it is learnt.

But at a press conference in Hisar, the state director general of police (DGP), YP Singal, said the Haryana government formed a committee of a finance commissioner and an inspector general of police, which “worked on every angle to find the facts, but found that the news was false”.

“I still want to request to everyone that if something has happened, then come to the police,” the DGP added. The Sonepat police too refuted the report.