‘Raped’ by police officer, aide, woman threatens immolation at UP CM Yogi Adityanath rally, cop booked, suspended

BAREILLY: After running from pillar to post for seven months seeking action against her alleged rapists -- a UP police officer and his friend -- a woman health worker threatened to set herself on fire in front of chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Rampur, where he was scheduled to address a rally on Tuesday. That worked. As the video went viral, police swung into action and filed a case of gangrape against inspector Ramvir Singh Yadav and his friend Vinod Singh Yadav.
Two more men were charged under various sections of the IPC. By evening the cop had been handed his suspension order.
Superintendent of police (Rampur) Ankit Mittal said, “Taking note of the viral video, the woman was called to give her statement. She has charged an inspector at Ganj Kotwali police station and his friend with gangrape and physical assault. Based on her complaint, an FIR has been registered against inspector Yadav, Vinod Singh Yadav, Manoj and Vijay under various sections of the IPC.”
Additional superintendent of police, Rampur, Sansar Singh added, “An inquiry has been ordered by Sambhal police against the accused police officer, who has also been accused of destroying evidence.”
Relieved at the police action, the woman said, “Ever since the incident, I have been running around to get justice. The men had even threatened to kill me but that did not stop me. I went to the National Commission for Women (NCW) too.”
She alleged that the accused barged into the private hospital where she worked on April 5 this year and gang-raped her over a property dispute. She also said the district administration did not act on her complaint despite several reminders. "Making the video threatening to kill myself in front of the CM was the last resort," she said.
One of the accused, Vinod Singh Yadav, refuted the woman's charges and said she was making things up. "She has a criminal background," he said. “The woman runs an illegal hospital in Rampur. I had purchased a property from her and paid her Rs 50 lakh. But when the time came to vacate the place, she refused and framed me and the inspector in a false rape case."
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)