Bihar woman approaches police after panchayat attempts to broker compromise with rapist in Araria district

Araria, Nov 5
A 20-year-old woman approached police after the village panchayat made attempts to broker a compromise with her alleged rapist in Bihar's Araria district.

The woman was allegedly raped by a man after he entered her house when she was alone in Bihar's Araria district. The incident reportedly took place on November 1, following which attempts were allegedly made to settle the matter through village-level panchayat meetings.

After three days of unsuccessful efforts to reach a compromise, the victim, accompanied by her sister, approached the Raniganj police station and lodged a complaint against the accused.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. in a village under the jurisdiction of Raniganj police station.

The accused has been identified as Dinesh Vishwas, a resident of Nandkar village.

According to the victim's sister, the family runs a grocery shop at their residence.

On the day of the incident, the young woman was sweeping the premises when the accused allegedly parked his vehicle outside the shop, entered the house, stuffed a piece of cloth in her mouth and raped her.

At the time, the victim's father was away from home, while her mother, who is a labourer, had gone to work in the village.

The woman subsequently informed her family members about the incident, following which, they raised the matter with local residents.

The victim's sister alleged that former and current panchayat representatives, along with some residents of the accused's village, intervened and attempted to settle the matter through negotiations.

Panchayat meetings continued for three consecutive days, but the efforts to reach a compromise failed.

Subsequently, the victim and her sister approached the police and submitted a complaint against Dinesh Vishwas.

Raniganj Station House Officer (SHO) Dharmendra Kumar said the accused had been called to the police station for questioning following the complaint.

He said further legal action would be taken after receiving the victim's written application.

Meanwhile, police have initiated an investigation into the allegations, and the victim has undergone a medical examination.

The police are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident and taking steps to ensure appropriate legal action against the accused.