A wave of shock and outrage has swept through Bhadohi district in Uttar Pradesh following two separate incidents of rape. The first case involves a 20-year-old newly married woman who was allegedly raped by a man at her home while her husband was away. The incident took place on Monday evening, with the accused identified as 28-year-old Rahul. According to police, Rahul initially attempted to engage in an illicit relationship with the woman by offering her money. However, when she resisted, he proceeded to rape her, silencing her with force. The victim subsequently reported the incident to her husband upon his return, and they jointly filed a complaint with the police. An FIR has been registered against Rahul under sections 64[1] (rape) and 351[2] (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, with the police currently conducting further investigations.
In a separate incident, a 59-year-old man, identified as Chintamani Sharma, was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a nurse over a period of 21 years. Sharma, a lab technician employed in the Bhadohi health department, allegedly befriended the 36-year-old victim when she was a 15-year-old student living in Varanasi. He offered to help her with her studies, but his intentions were far from genuine. Sharma allegedly began raping the victim by threatening her and continued to engage in sexual relations with her for over two decades. Despite promising marriage, he secretly married another woman, yet continued to deceive the victim and exploit her sexually. After completing her studies, the victim became a contract nurse at a Community Health Centre in Bhadohi. Sharma, despite being stationed in Varanasi, would travel to Bhadohi to continue his abuse. When the nurse finally voiced her desire to marry him, he reportedly responded with abuse, physical violence, and vandalism of her home. The victim finally mustered the courage to file a complaint in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Sabiha Khatoon against Sharma, leading to his arrest.
The arrest of the two accused in these heinous crimes brings a sense of relief to the local community, but also highlights the ongoing struggle against sexual violence in the region. The authorities are committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice and ensuring that justice is served in these cases.
