Jaipur: A rape accused who is said to have been absconding for almost 7 months, allegedly poured petrol over the victim and set her ablaze. This incident took place in Jaipur, Walled City, during Diwali.
The police have registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 307- attempt to murder- and arrested 4 persons including the rape accused named Lekhraj. These persons are under police remand till November 18
The victim has suffered 50% burns and is currently undergoing treatment whereas, Lekhraj has suffered 30% burns when he set the victim ablaze with a diya.
Yeshwant Singh, station house officer of Jaipur Kotwali police station said that the complaint was lodged by the victim against Lekhraj, a 28-year-old man. The victim is married. The rape incident had occurred a year ago and thus, bore no signs of assault during the medical examination. He absconded after the court issued an arrest warrant against him.
Both the victim and the accused are neighbours.
The accused had fled again after setting the woman on fire on Diwali night but he had to be hospitalised for his burn injuries. This led to his arrest.
According to a study by Sushma Kumawat, a former member of Rajasthan Women Commission and present secretary of Family Counselling Centre, crime against women in Jaipur has seen a 100% surge in May this year.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Rajasthan tops the list when it comes to rape or attempt to rape cases. Between 2018 and 2019, there was a drastic increase of 49.11 per cent in cases of crimes against women in Rajasthan.
In all India level, Rajasthan is second when to comes to crime against women, with a crime rate of 110.4 per lakh population. The crime rate is calculated by adding crimes registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL).
Assam tops the chart with a crime rate of 177.8 per lakh population. Assam and Rajasthan are followed by Haryana (108.5) and Odisha (103.5). The national average of crime against women is 61.3.