UP: Told to settle rape bid case, woman kills self

AGRA: A 35-year-old woman in Sadhan village of Achnera block of the district shot herself after she was allegedly forced to make a compromise with a man who had tried to rape her.

The mother of seven children, including two step sons, shot herself with her husband’s gun on Tuesday evening. She also left a suicide note, accusing her neighbour identified has Munish (36), also a father of five children, harassing her for sexual favour.

“I was denied justice and insulted in public. Instead of the accused man being sent to jail, I was forced to make a compromise with him. He attempted to sexually abuse me,” she has written in her note.

“My neighbour, who is a relative of the gram pradhan, attempted to rape my wife on the intervening night of December 29 and 30. He had been stalking my wife for over two weeks and was continuously making lewd calls to harass and pressure her for marrying him,” her husband told TOI.

“She was in mental trauma after the incident. A panchayat was held and my wife pleaded for justice and demanded prison term for the accused. But instead of justice, a signature was taken on paper which mentioned a mutual compromise,” he said, adding “Munish is a habitual sex offender. On at least four occasions, there were complaints against him for harassing local women.”

However, after the woman shot herself, Achnera police arrested the accused and booked him under IPC sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 354 (Assault on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), but no case was lodged against the members of the panchayat which allegedly forced the compromise.

Speaking to TOI, SP (rural west), Akhilesh Narayan Singh said: “The main accused has been arrested, probe is under way to ascertain the men who forced woman to compromise.” Sadhan gram pradhan’s husband Zameel said, “We are cooperating with the police and will do everything to ensure accused Munish is given stringent punishment.”