Rape shame: Kin, neighbours, not strangers, the culprits

Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 27

Persons known to the victims, not strangers, are involved in most rape cases. The analysis of rape cases registered in 2014 reveals that of the 64 cases, barring one, in all the other cases, persons who committed the crime were known to the victims.

As many as 48 victims were raped either by their relatives or neighbours. The crime in these cases was committed in either the victim's house or a place near the house. According to the police, a large number of the victims were minors. The analysis revealed that five rape cases were reported from hotel rooms by the victim’s friends or close ones.

During the year, 10 rape cases were registered at different police stations in the city after the accused refused to marry the victims. “In such cases, the victims have physical relations with the accused. However, when the accused refuse to tie the knot, the victims file cases of rape against them,” said police sources. In these cases, the crime was reported from places other than victim’s house or a hotel.

The number of rape cases also witnessed a rise in 2014 as 45 rape cases were registered in the city in 2013 while only 27 cases were reported in 2012.

Sukhchain Singh Gill, SSP, Chandigarh, said the incidence of rape cases in the city was alarming. However, what was more perturbing was that the accused were not strangers. “In a majority of the cases, the accused were relatives or neighbours of the victims, most of
whom were minors. The parents should take special
care of their child to avoid such incidents,” the Senior Suprintendent of Police (SSP) said.
Professor Rajesh Gill of the Sociology Department, Panjab University, said the
 parents should be cautious about close relatives and neighbours who visit
the house.
“Various studies have been conducted on rape cases by researchers and the findings have revealed that the accused in most cases were not strangers,” she said.
Over 90 per cent of the rape incidents reported from
the city since 2010 were
from the periphery and colonies. Of the 223 rape cases reported from different parts of the city, 201 were from the periphery and colony areas.