The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report of rape of a school student in Ghaziabad and that the local police is not taking any action under the influence of local panchayat. NHRC served notices to district magistrate and senior superintendent of police of Ghaziabad in this regard and sought a reply within four weeks after necessary action would be taken by the agency.

According to NHRC communiqué released on Thursday afternoon, a  village Panchayat of Muradnagar in Ghaziabad, was pressurizing the family of a class 10 student, who was gang raped by four youths of her village, not to file a complaint with the police.  The Panchayat ordered that the victim’s family beat the culprits five times with shoes as punishment and let them go.  The family was also threatened with dire consequences if it refused to obey the orders of the Panchayat. Interestingly, the Ghaziabad police, in spite of having all the facts with them so far took no cognizance and now even registered a case of rape.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the victim and her family member.  Accordingly, it has issued notices to the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police, Ghaziabad calling for reports within four weeks.

According to the media report, the girl was kidnapped by four youths of her village when she was returning to home from school on the September30, 2014.  She was taken to a nearby field and was sexually assaulted.  Though a complaint was lodged with the police naming all the four accused in the matter, but no FIR was registered by police in connivance with the culprits.  Reportedly, the police was also pressurizing the family of the victim for a compromise.