UP man arrested for raping Dalit woman and converting her to Islam

Representative image. File image

A man in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested for allegedly raping a 25-year-old Dalit woman on the pretext of marriage and forcing her to convert to Islam, an official said on Wednesday.

“The victim in her complaint accuses a certain Taj Mohammed of raping her on the pretext of marriage and forcibly converting her to Islam,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoj Kumar Rawat.

The victim was allegedly raped last year, after which the accused continued to threaten her with violence if she told anyone about the incident, the official said. According to the PTI report, he also hurled caste-related abuses at her a few days ago.

Based on her complaint on Tuesday, the police filed a complaint against Taj Mohammed for rape (376 IPC) and under sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Conversion Act.

“We have arrested the accused and launched an investigation into the matter,” the officer said.

Bail application of Thane doctor in rape case rejected by court

A court has rejected the bail plea of ​​a Thane-based doctor who was arrested for allegedly promising marriage to a woman and raping her. The 32-year-old Thane-based doctor was denied bail as the court felt he might tamper with evidence as the investigation in the case is ongoing, PTI reported.

According to the PTI report, the court observed: “As long as the investigation is ongoing, tampering with evidence is possible if bail is granted.”

Rejecting bail for the Thane doctor, Additional Sessions Judge Premal S. Vithalani said, “In view of the state of investigation, the gravity of the offence and the facts of the case, in my opinion, there is no ground for granting bail.”

He reportedly issued an order in this case on June 11, a copy of which was made available on Tuesday.

The judge, in his order denying bail to the Thane doctor, said that the judgment on the bail application has to be passed keeping in mind the facts and circumstances of the case. Justice Vithalani said, “Every bail application has to be decided keeping in mind the facts and circumstances of the case. There can be no coercive formula in granting or rejecting bail applications.”

According to reports, the prosecution said the Thane-based doctor and the 27-year-old woman became friends in 2017 and he proposed marriage to her in 2020.

The PTI report added that the woman approached the police earlier this year, following which a complaint of rape and criminal intimidation was filed against him. The Thane-based doctor, the report said, was arrested on May 7 after the court rejected his interim bail plea on April 24.

According to the PTI report, the law enforcement agency had challenged the Thane-based doctor’s bail application on the grounds that he had exploited the woman with false promises of marriage and threatened her with sexual relations.

The court examined the evidence, according to the PTI report, including mobile phone records and an audio recording of the informant’s lawyer. The court said, “In view of the facts of the case, one has to determine whether the accused deserves bail. There is no doubt that the informant consented to the physical intercourse. The accused’s lawyer has produced numerous photographs showing intimate details.”

However, it is alleged that the informant gave his consent due to the accused’s false promises of marriage and his threats to circulate pictures and videos of sexual acts on the internet, the court said, adding: “Such consent definitely cannot be considered as valid consent within the meaning of the law.”