Tension prevailed in Ratanpur town in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district with a large number of citizens, traders and some Hindu organisations on Sunday observing a 'bandh' to condemn the arrest of a rape survivor’s mother on a complaint lodged against her by the alleged rapist's relative, police said.
The rape survivor’s mother was arrested two days back after the alleged rapist’s relative complained that she sexually abused her minor son, police said.
Ratanpur town is located around 25 kms from Bilaspur district headquarters and 150 km from state capital Raipur. As per the case history, a 19-year-old woman residing in Ratanpur had lodged a complaint of rape against a local man in March, following which he was arrested and sent to jail, a police official said.
The accused man's uncle is a corporator and he allegedly pressured the victim and her mother to withdraw the case against his nephew.
The corporator reportedly threatened the mother-daughter duo of trapping them in a false case, he added. "On May 19, one of the relatives of the accused lodged a complaint at Ratanpur police station against the rape survivor’s mother alleging that she sexually abused her 10-year-old son. Acting on it, the police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the rape survivor’s mother and arrested her the same day," the official said.
However, condemning her arrest, several local residents on Saturday reached the police station and staged a protest while offering bangles to the police. On Sunday, the local citizens, traders and some Hindu organisations called a 'bandh', which was observed during the day. "No report of violence was reported and the situation is under control," Superintendent of Police (SP) Bilaspur," Santosh Singh said.
"Considering the sensitivity of the situation, Ratanpur police station in-charge Krishnakant Singh was line-attached. I have also constituted a three-member team led by Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) and asked them to present its report within a week," he said. Although no untoward incident was reported during the 'bandh', police personnel have been deployed in large numbers, police said.