NHRC issues notices to railways, Haryana DGP over woman’s 'gang rape' in train compartment

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday said it has issued notices to the Railway Board and the Haryana police chief over reports that a woman was allegedly gangraped in an empty compartment of a stationary train in Panipat and later, thrown on the rail tracks by the perpetrators, where a train ran over her leg.

The woman is undergoing treatment at a hospital after police found her on the railway tracks near Hindu College in Sonepat on the night of June 26.

The NHRC, in a statement, said it has “taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that on June 24, a woman was allegedly gangraped in an empty compartment of a stationary train in Panipat city of Haryana, and later thrown on the rail tracks by the perpetrators, where a train ran over her leg”.

The commission has observed that the content of the news report, if true, raises serious issues of violation of human rights.

Therefore, it has issued notices to the Railway Board chairman and Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana, seeking a detailed report in two weeks. The report is expected to include the status of the victim’s health and compensation, if any, provided to her by authorities, the panel said.

According to the media report published on July 8, the woman’s husband submitted a complaint to police on June 26, claiming that his wife was missing since June 24, after they had a quarrel. Based on the complaint, police reportedly launched a search operation and found the woman on the railway tracks, the NHRC said.

“As per the media report, the victim in her statement to the police, revealed that she had been battling depression since the death of her three-year-old son nearly a month ago and had left the house after a fight with her husband on June 24,” it said.

“She was reportedly sitting at the Panipat railway station when a man approached her and took her inside an empty bogie of a stationary train, where she was subjected to rape by him,” the statement said.

Later, two other men joined him and all three sexually assaulted the woman. The accused then took her to Sonepat and threw her on the rail tracks, following which a train ran over her leg. The investigation is reportedly underway and no arrests have so far been made, the statement added.