More pain for Morni gangrape victim, told to vacate house

Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 22

While the Morni gang rape victim and her husband are yet to overcome the trauma of the horrific incident, the owner of the house they live in has asked them to vacate the house and search for a new rented accommodation. 

Sharing his pain with Chandigarh Tribune on the telephone, the victim’s husband said as a number of policemen and journalists were visiting their house daily, the house owner, who lives in the opposite lane in Mani Majra, had asked them to vacate the house. The house owner had given them some time to search for a new rented accommodation, he said.

The victim and her husband are living in a one-room set in Mani Majra. They had shifted here around four months ago and were paying Rs 3,000 as monthly rent. 

The victim’s husband even requested policemen, who visited his house in uniform, and journalists, especially the electronic media, not to visit their house. 

“With policemen and journalists coming to our house, everybody in the locality will come to know about the gang rape of my wife. We are already suffering and it will be difficult for us to search for a new house,” he said.

7 more accused in police net

Seven more persons were arrested in the gang rape case on Sunday. The SIT arrested Raipur Rani resident Sahib Singh. He was the driver of the main accused, Sunny. The police said his duty was to bring women to Lovely Guest House in Morni. They are investigating whether besides the victim, there were more women in the guest house. The accused was produced in the Panchkula court, which remanded him in two-day police custody. Later, six more accused, Sukhwinder Singh, Karan Sharma, Manjit Singh, Vikash, alias Vicky, Shadi Ram and Ajay Kumar, all residents of Ambala district, were arrested in the case. They will be produced in the Panchkula court on Monday. So far, nine accused have been arrested in the case, two by the UT police and seven by the Panchkula police.

Still in pain, says victim

The victim said she was still in pain and was not able to walk properly. “My husband had to take me to the toilet. There is swelling in different parts of my body and it pains a lot”. 

Victim not well, husband can’t go for work

As the victim is not medically fit, her husband has not been able to go for work. “I have a temporary job of a tailor. Since July 18, I have not been able to go for my work as my wife is not well. I have to take her to the hospital for a medical examination daily. There is no financial support from anyone,” he said.

No security cover for couple 

No security cover has been provided to the victim and her husband. The victim’s husband takes her to the hospital on his second-hand motorcycle daily. Sources close to family suspect a threat to the life of the couple as they have named cops as accused in the case.