Woman beaten with belt, forced to dance naked, raped in Indore

Five men have been booked for allegedly raping a 34-year-old woman and forcing her to dance in the buff in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.

However, nobody has been arrested so far in this matter.

An FIR (First Information Report) was registered 19 days after the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the police to dispose of the woman's complaint within 90 days after she alleged inaction by the police.

The victim lodged the FIR at Kanadia police station alleging that the accused forcibly took her to a godown on June 11, raped her, and also performed unnatural sex after watching videos on TV, said the police.

According to the FIR, the complainant was allegedly beaten with a belt and forced to dance naked for half an hour, said the police.

The police registered the case on Monday late night against five accused under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

A detailed investigation was underway and no arrests had been made so far, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abhinay Vishwakarma said.

“Appropriate legal steps will be taken in the case based on evidence,” he added.

The woman had filed a petition in the Indore bench of the MP High Court stating that she had lodged a complaint on July 17 at Kanadia police station, but no steps were taken by the police.

On August 14, the High Court had directed the officer-in-charge of Kanadia police station to consider the woman's complaint and dispose it within 90 days and take appropriate steps.

Meanwhile, state Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla attributed the delay in registering the FIR to BJP's pressure on police, alleging one of the accused was associated with the ruling party.

State BJP spokesperson Narendra Saluja denied the Congress' allegation.

“Whoever the accused is, the victim will definitely get justice in the BJP government. However, I have come to know that both sides have made police complaints against each other in the case related to the woman,” he said.