Alleged Rape and Murder of 25-Year-Old Dalit Woman by Police Constable
As reported by various news agencies across India, a 25-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped, strangled, and hanged by a police constable in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra. The woman’s lifeless body was discovered hanging in Constable Raghvendra Singh’s rented room in Belanganj, under the jurisdiction of Chhata Police Station in Agra city on December 29. A postmortem confirmed hanging as the cause of death. Contradictory statements have emerged regarding the nature of the incident.
“The police official has been arrested,” confirmed RK Singh to True To Life News Media. However, DSP Rakesh Kumar Singh contradicted this, stating, “Postmortem says it’s hanging, and there are no signs of struggle and injury, so it will be considered suicide only.”
Complex Relationship Dynamics
According to the woman’s family, Singh and the woman had undergone nursing training in Jhansi and had remained in contact since then. The woman’s brother mentioned that they had visited Raghvendra Singh’s home, “but his family refused our marriage proposal, although he remained in touch with my sister.” Police reported that the woman had visited the constable’s rented room a day before the incident.
Constable Raghavendra Singh, a native of Jhansi, was living in rented accommodation in Belanganj. The girl was working at a Kidney Centre in Gurugram, according to RK Singh.
Events Leading to the Incident
On the day of the incident, Singh had come to his office but left early. Later, he informed his colleagues about the incident. The constable was arrested on Sunday based on complaints from the woman’s family.
The complainant accused the constable of luring his daughter to his Agra residence, where she was allegedly raped and subsequently strangled to death. Singh purportedly transported her lifeless body to the hospital before absconding from the scene.
Conflicting Statements and Investigation
Raghvendra Singh called his constable friend Akash on Friday afternoon, informing him that a female friend had come to his house on Thursday night. Singh stated that he went to the office the next morning, leaving her at home. Upon his return, he found the victim hanging from a ceiling fan. He rushed her to a hospital where doctors declared her dead.
A police team reached the hospital, but Singh had already left. The police then searched Singh’s house and found it locked. No suicide note was discovered. During the preliminary inquiry, it emerged that the constable and the victim were in a relationship, but differences had arisen in recent months.
Agra Police has booked the constable under sections 306, 376, and the SC/ST Act of IPC.
Sources: NDTV, India Today By Soujanya Das Roy From Kolkata Reporting for True To Life