Farm owner booked for raping woman labourer in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: A 22-year-old tribal woman has been allegedly raped by a farm owner at a village in Kutch district of Gujarat, police said on Tuesday.

The alleged incident had occurred on September 16 in Ratnal village in Anjar taluka but the FIR was registered only on Tuesday as the accused Ranchhod Ahir had threatened to kill husband of the woman if she disclosed the incident, an official said quoting the complaint.

The couple was working as labourers at Ahir's farm at the time of the incident.

Following the incident, the couple had fled to their native Dahod district without approaching the police.

No arrest is made so far.

Mina Jadav, secretary of NGO Majur Adhikar Manch, which works for the cause of migrant workers, said a zero FIR was registered at Sabarmati police station in Ahmedabad after pressure from different sections including the human rights cell of the Gujarat police.

She alleged officials at Sabarmati police station initially refused to register the FIR.

A zero FIR can be filed at any police station and can be transferred to the appropriate police station under whose jurisdiction a crime has taken place.

Ahir was booked under sections 376 (2) (n) (committing rape repeatedly), 354 (A)(1)(i) (sexual harassment), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the police official said.

Jadav said the victim's husband had approached the NGO in Dahod, following which the victim was brought to Ahmedabad where she was counselled to file a case.

Every year, thousands of tribals migrate to various districts in Saurashtra and north Gujarat to work at farms as share-croppers, Jadav said.

(PTI)