Savage gang rape in Haryana has shocked nation's conscience: Sonia Gandhi

File Photo: AFP

New Delhi: On Saturday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has expressed deep shock and outrage over the brutal gang rape and murder of a young woman in Haryana' Rohtak. Congress president has highlighted the need for "revisiting" the issue of women safety. "This savage and bone-chilling incident has shocked the conscience of the nation, reminding each one of us about the crying need for revisiting the important issue of women's safety and security," she said in a statement, reported PTI. Gandhi expressed heartfelt condolences to the family and hoped that the Haryana government would take action against the culprits and provide necessary solace to the family. In a horrific incident and a cruel reminder of 2012 gang-rape case in Delhi, a 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and brutally murdered with her mutilated body being found in Rohtak district. According to news agency PTI, stray dogs had bitten away the victim's face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passerby in the urban estate area of Rohtak on May 11, police said. "Two persons, Sumit and Vikas, have been arrested in this connection," Sub-inspector in Sonipat, Ajay Malik said. Sumit was an acquaintance of the victim, he said. Police said the woman was allegedly kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9 and taken to Rohtak in a car. The victim was a divorcee. News agency ANI reports, the victim had allegedly refused a marriage proposal, following which the accused reached her home a week later with his friends. A heated argument broke out which resulted in the woman slapping him. In revenge, the accused along with his friends allegedly raped and murdered her. The family of the victim said that on May 9, at least five to six youth abducted her from the gate of a private company. After that the accused took her to a deserted place and gang-raped her. The victim's mother said that the accused have been pressurizing the woman for marriage for the past one year. The forensic reports suggested that the victim was mutilated with sharp-edged weapons. Later, the accused tried to run her over to hide her identity. "The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated after the gang rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people. Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated. The victim was living with her mother and brother and used to work in a private medicine company. The woman's parents had filed a missing complaint, based on which the police tracked her parents down. The parents were called to Rohtak to identify her body. The distraught parents have claimed that this ghastly attack was carried out by the girl's neighbour and have demanded capital punishment for the rapists. Further investigation is underway.