New Delhi, Dec. 31: Unnerved by the nationwide outrage over the gang rape and death of a paramedic student, a 19-year-old youth arrested on charges of eve-teasing has committed suicide in the capital by hanging himself.
The co-accused is critical after the duo decided to end their lives fearing reprisals for their act. Though the incident had taken place last week, police disclosed the incident today, saying the accused had pleaded them not to disclose it considering massive anger over the December 16 incident when a 23-year-old girl was gang raped in a moving bus and brutalised. She died in a Singapore hospital.
“The duo, who were arrested, feared for their lives and were scared that they would be beaten to death by angry protesters once the incident was reported in the media,” said a senior IPS officer. According to him, Chandrakant committed suicide on the night of December 25, the day he was arrested along with his two friends — Sonu, 18, and Mohit, 19 – all students of a technical institute in Malvianagar, south Delhi, following the complaint of a girl who also studied in the same institute. The trio were booked under Section 509 (eve teasing) of IPC and were produced before a Delhi court. They were released on bail the same day.
In her complaint, the girl told the police that the three accused travelled in the same bus she took to go to the institute and used to pass lewd remarks at her for many days. They even threatened her with dire consequences if they lodged complaint with police. On December 24, she, along with her elder brother, was on her way to the institute in a bus when the three accused eve-teased her. The girl’s brother objected to it and an altercation broke out between them. He grabbed Chandrakant by his collar and overpowered him before dialling police emergency number. Police rushed to the spot but by then other two youths, who jumped off the bus, had managed to escape.
Chandrakant was arrested from the spot and was brought to Mehrauli police station where the girl lodged the formal complaint against the trio. During the night-long raid on December 24, the two other co-accused were picked up from their respective houses and were brought to police station. Section 509 relates to word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman and it carries sentence for a term, which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
Police said Chandrakant and Mohit were very unnerved after their arrest and pleaded them not to inform it to the media. “They were scared that they would be beaten up by people who were already protesting against the gang rape of the student in Delhi. They told us that they would never ever indulge in such acts,” said an official of Mehrauli police station.
After returning home Chandrakant locked himself in his room and later hanged himself from the ceiling using a rope while Sonu consumed poison at his house. By the time Chandrakant was rushed to a nearby hospital by his parents he was declared brought dead while Mohit is undergoing treatment.
“He is still not out of danger,” said the police official. The police found a suicide note from Cahndrakant’s room.
Chargesheet ready
Two days after the death of the 23-year-old gang rape victim, Delhi Police today said it has finalised around 1,000-page charge sheet in connection with the incident and plans to submit it in court on Thursday. A senior police official said the charge sheet, which is being vetted by legal experts, has cited 30 witnesses in connection with the December 16 incident, reports PTI.
President Pranab Mukherjee and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will not take part in any New Year celebrations, while the Armed Forces cancelled their parties as the country remained in a sombre mood on the eve of 2013 numbed by the death of the gang-raped girl.
