Woman in Margao retracts rape plaint, lawyer sees red flag

Margao: A case of alleged rape booked by Margao town police on Monday took an unexpected turn when the woman in question retracted the accusations on Tuesday.
The case came to light when Janaki Shinkre, a lawyer, found a 25-year-old woman from Karnataka crying on the street near her residence in Margao.
The woman confided in Shinkre, and based on the complaint lodged by the lawyer, Margao town police booked the case under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against an as yet unidentified person on charges of raping the woman after giving her an intoxicating drink.
The woman, who recently started working as a caretaker for an elderly couple in Margao, later denied the allegations and expressed her desire to return to her hometown in Karnataka. She also refused to undergo a medical examination following the complaint.
Shinkre has expressed serious concerns about the handling of the case by both police and the NGO counsellor assigned to assist the woman. “The sudden change in the victim’s statement and her refusal to undergo a medical examination raises red flags about possible intimidation or pressure,” Shinkre told the media.
Police investigations appear to have hit a roadblock following the woman’s retraction.