(Updated)- Police arrested 30-year-old Lok Raj Awasthi of Kanchanpur, Jhalari Municipality-3 on June 13 on the charges of raping a 35-years-old woman. The victim’s family had lodged a verbal complaint at the ward police office, Chandraut accusing him of raping an intellectually impaired woman after taking her to a nearby jungle. The victim was rescued by police after locals found her in a semi-conscious state in a jungle. She was referred to Taulihawa hospital after she could not be treated at a community hospital in Chandraut. After primary treatment, she was further taken to Lumbini Zonal hospital in Butwal. The accused was arrested by the police for further investigation according to chief administrative officer Indu Ghimire. The victim’s family has also lodged a written complaint at the Police office, Chandraut on June 13.

(Update)- The people of Shivaraj VDC in Kapilvastu staged a demonstration at Chandrauta on Wednesday, demanding stern action against the men involved in the recent gang rape of a speech-impaired woman. Claiming that the woman was raped by the Armed Police Force (APF) personnel from Bindhbasini Battalion, the enraged villagers gathered near a checkpoint of the APF along the East-West Highway which caused traffic obstruction for nearly six hours. The demonstrators left the scene only after the District Administration Office assured to investigate the incident by taking the suspected APF men into custody and foot the victim’s medical expenses. The APF also agreed to assist in the investigation process by handing over the suspected officers to the police. The woman from Shivara VDC-10 was gang-raped on the bank of Jabai stream near the APF battalion in Chandrauta on Sunday. Ten men had allegedly tied her with a rope and taken turns raping her. She was admitted to a hospital in Bhairahawa but was discharged on Tuesday as her family could not afford her further treatment. She was re-admitted to a hospital in Butwal on Wednesday with the donation collected by the villagers. In the wake of the incident, police arrested APF Constable Lokraj Wosti after some clothing items and a soap bar believed to belong to the APF personnel were recovered from the incident site. The victim’s relatives and the villagers have been claiming that besides Wosti, other APF personnel were also involved in the crime. Mina Pariyar, a local woman rights activist, said the APF is trying to protect its officers involved in the rape.

Update...... A rape victim has nightmares She gets up from her bed at night and sits on the floor weeping. Almost a week after she was gang-raped on the banks of the Jabi stream near the Armed Police Force battalion in Chandrauta, Kapilvastu district, the victim is haunted by nightmares, has lost appetite, and shown signs of withdrawal. With tears in her eyes, she shows the bite marks and bruises on her body parts; they are everywhere on her cheeks, lips, neck, stomach, breast, and buttocks. On Saturday noon, hospital workers were helping the victim with lunch. She would reluctantly put a bit of rice and dal into her mouth, only to throw up immediately. The wound inside her mouth has not healed and she has difficulty swallowing salted food. “She has been like this ever since the incident,” said her sister-in-law. “On the first day, she showed enough strength to show the police where she had been dragged and where the incident had taken place but has withdrawn since.” The speech-impaired woman was gang-raped on Sunday. The victim communicated using the fingers of both her hands that she was dragged to the riverbank and raped by 10 men. She was brought to Kathmandu for treatment on Thursday. While she is getting medical attention, the investigation and subsequent prosecution of the perpetrators is not getting the due attention, a rights activist said. A Tharu single woman, she comes from a very poor family. Her brother, who supports her, is a daily wage worker. She had been admitted to a local hospital in Butwal after her neighbors chipped in some money. “The victim is a disabled woman without influence. We are worried that evidence will be distorted and the case weakened. We want justice for her,” said Tika Dahal, vice-president of the National Federation of Disabled Nepal. In the wake of the incident, police arrested APF Constable Lokraj Wosti after some clothing items and a soap bar believed to belong to the APF personnel were recovered from the incident site. The APF has said it is committed to providing justice to the victim. “We have launched our own departmental probe. We have also been cooperating with the inspection carried out by Nepal Police,” said DSP Ajay Chatkulli. The APF has handed over its Assistant Head Constable Raju Chaudhary to the ward police office for further investigation into the case. Superintendent of Police Bishnu KC said they had arrested Chaudhary based on the statement of Wosti. The National Human Rights Commission has deployed a team to inspect the incident.

Update..... Home Ministry urged to probe deeper into Chandrauta rape case The Social Justice and Human Rights Committee under the Legislature-Parliament today issued an instruction to the Home Ministry to form a central investigation team to delve further into the rape of a disabled woman by the Armed Police Force personnel in Chandrauta of Kapilvastu. In the filthy incident which took place on May 12, the Committee has noted that several policemen were involved but only two fell within the radar. It has directed the Ministry to introduce preventive programs to effectively curtail the possibility of a repeat of such incidents in the future. The victimized woman should be compensated as well as necessary treatment and counseling should be provided to her, the Committee argued. A lawmakers' team will also be formed to investigate the incident separately. At the Committee meeting, lawmakers shared their suspicion that the police by taking action against only two were trying to let others off the hook despite the fact that the dumb woman through sign language has already indicated the involvement of at least 10 men in the heinous act. It was an issue of shame that security personnel at the helm of authority to maintain peace and security have been found guilty of rape in many cases, they said, suggesting police institutions to be alert against the repetition of such illegal acts. Speaking on the occasion, Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet made a pledge to take action against those involved in the incident. He also viewed that the crime was committed by some people of the Armed Police Force (APF) and so the whole institution should not be linked with the incident. Likewise, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Upendra Kanta Aryal said that the suspects—APF Head Constable Raju Tharu and Constable Lokraj Awasthi—have been arrested in connection with the incident and that investigation was on. APF IGP Durja Kumar Rai apologized for the incident on behalf of his institution and assured that the guilty would be booked. Also, spokesperson for Home Ministry Yadav Koirala said that those found to be trying to defend the guilty would also be booked.

(Update)- The Social Justice and Human Rights Committee (SJHRC) of the Legislature-Parliament on Friday directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to form a central probe committee and carry out a thorough investigation into the gang-rape of a speech-impaired woman allegedly by Armed Police Force personnel. Stating that it was not convinced by the police report, which had shown the involvement of “only two APF personnel” in the crime, the parliamentary committee directed Minister for Home Affairs Shakti Bahadur Basnet and chiefs of Nepal Police and APF to carry out a thorough investigation and provide medical treatment and counseling and compensation the victim. The committee had summoned Minister Basnet, Nepal Police Chief Upendra Kant Aryal, and APF Chief Durja Kumar Rai on Friday to discuss the matter. IG Aryal and IG Rai have assured the committee members that perpetrators would be brought to book. “We told the government and law enforcement agencies to make sure that the perpetrators are brought to book and justice is delivered to the victim,” said Sushil Kumar Shrestha, chairperson of the SJHRC. “Minister Basnet has vowed to take action against the culprits.” The speech-impaired woman, 35, was allegedly gang-raped by APF personnel on the bank of the Jabi stream near the APF battalion in Chandrauta, Kapilvastu, on June 12. The victim has said at least 10 men were involved in the crime. But police so far have arrested two persons--APF Constable Lokraj Wosti and APF Assistant Head Constable Raju Chaudhary--for their involvement in the crime. The house committee, which has formed a five-member panel to investigate the case, on Friday, also directed the security agencies to put a strong mechanism in place to make sure such incidents are not repeated in the future.