Three men posing as policemen gang-rape teenage girl in Delhi
Incident raises fresh concerns over safety of women and girls in Indian capital
New Delh:Three men posing as policemen gang raped a 16-year-old girl in a park in Southeast Delhi, highlighting serious concerns over the safety of women and girls and protection from sexual violence in India.
The incident took place on Monday evening after the girl visited Kalkaji Mandir with her 17-year-old male friend. At around 7:30 pm, after leaving the temple, the two went for a walk-in a nearby Asth Kunj Park.
Police said three men, aged between 25 and 30, approached the teenagers and claimed to be policemen. The men questioned them about where they had been and threatened them with legal action before assaulting the girl. One of the accused restrained her male friend while the other two sexually assaulted her. They then fled the area.
According to the girl’s statement to police, one of the accused held her male friend while the other two took turns sexually assaulting her. The girl was medically examined at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Police registered a case under provisions relating to gang rape of a person under 18, criminal conspiracy, voluntarily causing grievous hurt and criminal intimidation.
The incident comes amid reports of other sexual crimes against minors in Delhi. A sixth-grade student was reportedly sexually assaulted inside a shop in Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar, while a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped and murdered in Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar area. Her decomposed body was reportedly found on September 13.
Sexual violence against women and children remains a serious and widely documented human rights issue in India, with official data continuing to record large number of reported cases. Delhi has repeatedly recorded a high number of crimes against women, including rape, prompting continued concerns over the safety of woman and girls in the Indian capital.
