Facing media pressure and political campaign, the Rajasthan government on Wednesday asked a special wing of the police to trace and arrest a former IPS officer accused of raping a tribal woman 13 years ago and absconding.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told reporters here that this was a "serious incident" and the Special Operations Group of the state police has been asked to arrest former DIG Madhukar Tandon for allegedly raping the woman in 1997.
"We have directed the SOG to arrest the accused and hope the victim will get justice", Gehlot said adding "there is a trial in the court and the accused is absconding".
He said issue of the rape victims waiting for justice for 13 years was "very serious" and the government was trying to arrest the accused.
Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal said the government would also go into how Tandon had got out of the clutches of law and who are responsible for it.
"This is a serious matter. The accused has not been arrested since 1997...Those who had information about him, why didn't they do anything?...we will go into the matter", Dhariwal said.
The woman was allegedly abducted to Noida in Uttar Pradesh in January 1997 and raped there by the former IPS officer, then posted in the police headquarters here.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters blocked the Jaipur-Agra highway in Dausa district, 57 km from here, after their MP Kirori Lal Meena (Independent), who was on a dharna here seeking justice for the tribal woman, was arrested along with 13 others in the wee hours today.
Justifying the arrest of Meena, Gehlot said the Dausa MP, despite invitation for talks from the government opted to sit on Dharna yesterday and should have acted within the limits of law.
"We respect Dr. Kirori but there must be rule of law and not of individual. If Meena being an MP disturbs law and order, what message the public will get? I had invited him for talks but he went on a dharna," Gehlot said. PTI
