US tourist gang rape: Cops await HC nod

Ishrat S Banwait

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 7

As the three-year-old US tourist’s gang rape case awaits a High Court nod to conduct identification parade of the accused and record the statement of the victim, both via videoconferencing, the challan has thrown light on some other facts. The victim, who had to leave India days after the crime as her passport was set to expire, went to France and got her medical examination conducted.

The victim’s alertness has strengthened her allegations as the medical report has confirmed sexual assault. The report, however, was in French language and the Chandigarh Police had sought the help of Panjab University (PU) to get it translated. It has been learnt that the translated version, along with the original one, has been attached with the police challan.

The challan was filed against one of the accused, auto-rickshaw driver Baldev Singh of Ludhiana, who was arrested by the police in December 2017. He has been charged with Sections 328, 342, 366, 376, 392 and 34 of the IPC. The police had filed the challan and submitted an application in the court to allow Test Identification Parade (TIP) and recording of statement under Section 164 of the CrPC to be done via videoconferencing. While the district court has allowed the same, the approval of the High Court is awaited.

The US national had come to India in January 2015 as a tourist. In March 2015, she had come to Chandigarh to further go to Haridwar and Rishikesh. On the fateful night, she took an auto-rickshaw, allegedly driven by Baldev, to look for a cheap accommodation. In the process, she travelled to many sectors of the city after which Baldev suggested and took her to Kharar after calling his accomplice Lucky. The US national was allegedly raped there.

The victim however, did not make a complaint while in the city and went to France, where she was working as her passport was about to expire in four days. From there, she sent an email to the Inspector General of Police, Chandigarh, alleging rape and narrating the episode. As per information, the police had reverted to her email and asked whether she had gotten a medical examination conducted to prove her claims. She replied in the affirmative and sent her medical examination report which was in French.

After Baldev’s arrest in December, the police approached the victim to come to India to record her statement and identify the accused.

She agreed to come in April but was asked to do the same by May, so as to enable the police to file the challan in the stipulated 90 days’ time. However, the victim refused and the police, thus, filed an application to conduct both processes via videoconferencing.

Identification parade via videoconferencing

The victim’s alertness has strengthened her allegations as the medical report has confirmed sexual assault. The report, however, was in French language and the Chandigarh Police had sought the help of PU to get it translated. It has been learnt that the translated version, along with the original one, has been attached with the police challan. The police had filed the challan and submitted an application in the court to allow identification parade and recording of statement under Section 164 of the CrPC to be done via videoconferencing.